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第13章

lay morals-第13章

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rely requested  that the captive should be released。  On the refusal of the  two soldiers who were in the front room; high words were  given and taken on both sides; and the other two rushed forth  from an adjoining chamber and made at the countrymen with  drawn swords。  One of the latter; John M'Lellan of Barscob;  drew a pistol and shot the corporal in the body。  The pieces  of tobacco…pipe with which it was loaded; to the number of  ten at least; entered him; and he was so much disturbed that  he never appears to have recovered; for we find long  afterwards a petition to the Privy Council requesting a  pension for him。  The other soldiers then laid down their  arms; the old man was rescued; and the rebellion was  commenced。 (2)

And now we must turn to Sir James Turner's memoirs of  himself; for; strange to say; this extraordinary man was  remarkably fond of literary composition; and wrote; besides  the amusing account of his own adventures just mentioned; a  large number of essays and short biographies; and a work on  war; entitled PALLAS ARMATA。  The following are some of the  shorter pieces 'Magick;' 'Friendship;' 'Imprisonment;'  'Anger;' 'Revenge;' 'Duells;' 'Cruelty;' 'A Defence of some  of the Ceremonies of the English Liturgie … to wit … Bowing  at the Name of Jesus; The frequent repetition of the Lord's  Prayer and Good Lord deliver us; Of the Doxologie; Of  Surplesses; Rotchets; Canonnicall Coats;' etc。  From what we  know of his character we should expect 'Anger' and 'Cruelty'  to be very full and instructive。  But what earthly right he  had to meddle with ecclesiastical subjects it is hard to see。

Upon the 12th of the month he had received some information  concerning Gray's proceedings; but as it was excessively  indefinite in its character; he paid no attention to it。  On  the evening of the 14th; Corporal Deanes was brought into  Dumfries; who affirmed stoutly that he had been shot while  refusing to sign the Covenant … a story rendered singularly  unlikely by the after conduct of the rebels。  Sir James  instantly dispatched orders to the cessed soldiers either to  come to Dumfries or meet him on the way to Dalry; and  commanded the thirteen or fourteen men in the town with him  to come at nine next morning to his lodging for supplies。

On the morning of Thursday the rebels arrived at Dumfries  with 50 horse and 150 foot。  Neilson of Corsack; and Gray;  who commanded; with a considerable troop; entered the town;  and surrounded Sir James Turner's lodging。  Though it was  between eight and nine o'clock; that worthy; being unwell;  was still in bed; but rose at once and went to the window。

Neilson and some others cried; 'You may have fair quarter。'

'I need no quarter;' replied Sir James; 'nor can I be a  prisoner; seeing there is no war declared。'  On being told;  however; that he must either be a prisoner or die; he came  down; and went into the street in his night…shirt。  Here Gray  showed himself very desirous of killing him; but he was  overruled by Corsack。  However; he was taken away a prisoner;  Captain Gray mounting him on his own horse; though; as Turner  naively remarks; 'there was good reason for it; for he  mounted himself on a farre better one of mine。'  A large  coffer containing his clothes and money; together with all  his papers; were taken away by the rebels。  They robbed  Master Chalmers; the Episcopalian minister of Dumfries; of  his horse; drank the King's health at the market cross; and  then left Dumfries。 (3)

(1) FULLER'S HISTORIE OF THE HOLY WARRE; fourth ed。 1651。 (2) Wodrow; vol。 ii。 p。 17。 (3) Sir J。 Turner's MEMOIRS; pp。 148…50。



THE PENTLAND RISING  CHAPTER III … THE MARCH OF THE REBELS



'Stay; passenger; take notice what thou reads; At Edinburgh lie our bodies; here our heads; Our right hands stood at Lanark; these we want; Because with them we signed the Covenant。' EPITAPH ON A TOMBSTONE AT HAMILTON。 (1)


ON Friday the 16th; Bailie Irvine of Dumfries came to the  Council at Edinburgh; and gave information concerning this  'horrid rebellion。'  In the absence of Rothes; Sharpe  presided … much to the wrath of some members; and as he  imagined his own safety endangered; his measures were most  energetic。  Dalzell was ordered away to the West; the guards  round the city were doubled; officers and soldiers were  forced to take the oath of allegiance; and all lodgers were  commanded to give in their names。  Sharpe; surrounded with  all these guards and precautions; trembled … trembled as he  trembled when the avengers of blood drew him from his chariot  on Magus Muir; … for he knew how he had sold his trust; how  he had betrayed his charge; and he felt that against him must  their chiefest hatred be directed; against him their direst  thunder…bolts be forged。  But even in his fear the apostate  Presbyterian was unrelenting; unpityingly harsh; he published  in his manifesto no promise of pardon; no inducement to  submission。  He said; 'If you submit not you must die;' but  never added; 'If you submit you may live!' (2)

Meantime the insurgents proceeded on their way。  At  Carsphairn they were deserted by Captain Gray; who; doubtless  in a fit of oblivion; neglected to leave behind him the  coffer containing Sir James's money。  Who he was is a  mystery; unsolved by any historian; his papers were evidently  forgeries … that; and his final flight; appear to indicate  that he was an agent of the Royalists; for either the King or  the Duke of York was heard to say; 'That; if he might have  his wish; he would have them all turn rebels and go to arms。'  (3)

Upon the 18th day of the month they left Carsphairn and  marched onwards。

Turner was always lodged by his captors at a good inn;  frequently at the best of which their halting…place could  boast。  Here many visits were paid to him by the ministers  and officers of the insurgent force。  In his description of  these interviews he displays a vein of satiric severity;  admitting any kindness that was done to him with some  qualifying souvenir of former harshness; and gloating over  any injury; mistake; or folly; which it was his chance to  suffer or to hear。  He appears; notwithstanding all this; to  have been on pretty good terms with his cruel 'phanaticks;'  as the following extract sufficiently proves:

'Most of the foot were lodged about the church or churchyard;  and order given to ring bells next morning for a sermon to be  preached by Mr。 Welch。  Maxwell of Morith; and Major  M'Cullough invited me to heare 〃that phanatick sermon〃 (for  soe they merrilie called it)。  They said that preaching might  prove an effectual meane to turne me; which they heartilie  wished。  I answered to them that I was under guards; and that  if they intended to heare that sermon; it was probable I  might likewise; for it was not like my guards wold goe to  church and leave me alone at my lodgeings。  Bot to what they  said of my conversion; I said it wold be hard to turne a  Turner。  Bot because I founde them in a merrie humour; I  said; if I did not come to heare Mr。 Welch preach; then they  might fine me in fortie shillings Scots; which was double the  suome of what I had exacted from the phanatics。' (4)

This took place at Ochiltree; on the 22nd day of the month。   The following is recounted by this personage with malicious  glee; and certainly; if authentic; it is a sad proof of how  chaff is mixed with wheat; and how ignorant; almost impious;  persons were engaged in this movement; nevertheless we give  it; for we wish to present with impartiality all the alleged  facts to the reader:

'Towards the evening Mr。 Robinsone and Mr。 Crukshank gaue me  a visite; I called for some ale purposelie to heare one of  them blesse it。  It fell Mr。 Robinsone to seeke the blessing;  who said one of the most bombastick graces that ever I heard  in my life。  He summoned God Allmightie very imperiouslie to  be their secondarie (for that was his language)。  〃And if;〃  said he; 〃thou wilt not be our Secondarie; we will not fight  for thee at all; for it is not our cause bot thy cause; and  if thou wilt not fight for our cause and thy oune cause; then  we are not obliged to fight for it。  They say;〃 said he;  〃that Dukes; Earles; and Lords are coming with the King's  General against us; bot they shall be nothing bot a threshing  to us。〃  This grace did more fullie satisfie me of the folly  and injustice of their cause; then the ale did quench my  thirst。' (5)

Frequently the rebels made a halt near some roadside  alehouse; or in some convenient park; where Colonel Wallace;  who had now taken the command; would review the horse and  foot; during which time Turner was sent either into the  alehouse or round the shoulder of the hill; to prevent him  from seeing the disorders which were likely to arise。  He  was; at last; on the 25th day of the month; between Douglas  and Lanark; permitted to behold their evolutions。  'I found  their horse did consist of four hundreth and fortie; and the  foot of five hundreth and upwards。 。 。 。 The horsemen were  armed for most part with suord and pistoll; some onlie with  suord。  The foot with musket; pike; sith (scythe); forke; and  suord; and some with suords great and long。'  He admired much  the proficiency of their cavalry; and marvelled how they had  attained to it in so short a time。 (6)

At Douglas; which they had just left on the morning of this  great wapinshaw; they were charged … awful picture of  depravity! … with the theft of a silver spoon and a  nightgown。  Could it be expected that while the whole country  swarmed with robbers of every description; such a rare  opportunity for plunder should be lost by rogues … that among  a thousand men; even though fighting for religion; there  should not be one Achan in the camp?  At Lanark a declaration  was drawn up and signed by the chief rebels。  In it occurs  the following:

'The just sense whereof ' … the sufferings of the country …  'made us choose; rather to betake ourselves to the fields for  self…defence; than to stay at home; burdened daily with the  calamities of others; and tortured with the fears of our own  approaching misery。' (7)

The whole body; too; swore the Covenant; to which ceremony  the epitaph at the head of this chapter seems to refer。

A report that Dalzell was approaching drove them from Lanark  to Bathgate; where; on the evening of Monday the 26th; the  wearied army stopped。  But at twelve o'clock the cry; which  served them for a trumpet; of 'Horse! horse!' and 'Mount the  prisoner!' resounded through the night…shrouded town; and  called the peasants from their well…earned rest to toil  onwards in their march。  The wind howled fiercely over the  moorland; a close; thick; wetting rain descended。  Chilled to  the bone; worn out with long fatigue; sinking to the knees in  mire; onward they marched to destruction。  One by one the  weary peasants fell off from their ranks to sleep; and die in  the rain…soaked moor; or to seek some house by the wayside  wherein to hide till daybreak。  One by one at first; then in  gradually increasing numbers; at every shelter that was seen;  whole troops left the waning squadrons; and rushed to hide  themselves from the ferocity of the tempest。  To right and  left nought could be descried but the broa

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