s, marshalled his men in a position near Kilsyth:
his cavalry was broken by the[b] royalists at the first charge; the
infantry fled without a blow, and about five thousand of the fugitives are
said to have perished in the pursuit, which was continued for fourteen
or twenty miles.[1] This victory placed the Lowlands at the mercy of the
conqueror. Glasgow and the neighbouring shires solicited his clemency; the
citizens of Edinburgh sent to him the prisoners who had been condemned for
their adherence to the royal cause; and many of the nobility, hastening
to his standard, accepted commissions to raise forces in the name of the
sovereign. At this news the[c] Scottish cavalry, which, in accordance with
the treaty of "brotherly assistance," had already advanced to Nottingham,
marched back to the Tweed to protect their own country; and the king on the
third day left Oxford with five thousand men, to drive the infantry

[Footnote 1: It was probably on account of the heat of the season
that Montrose ordered his men to throw aside their plaids--vestes
molestiores--and fight in their shirts; an order which has given occasion
to several fanciful conjectures and exaggerations;--See Carte, iv. 538.]

[Sidenote a: A.D. 1645. July 2.]
[Sidenote b: A.D. 1645. August 15.]
[Sidenote c: A.D. 1645. August 26.]

from the siege of Hereford. They did not wait his arrival, and he entered
the city amidst the joyful acclamations of the inhabitants.[1]

But Charles was not long suffered to enjoy his[a] triumph. Full of
confidence, he had marched from Hereford to the relief of Bristol; but at
Ragland Castle learned that it was already in possession of the enemy.
This unexpected stroke quite unnerved him. That a prince of his family, an
officer whose reputation for courage and fidelity was unblemished, should
surrender in the third week of the siege an important city, which he had
promised to maintain for four months, appeared to him incredible. His mind
was agitated with suspicion and jealousy. He knew not whether to attribute
the conduct of his nephew to cowardice, or despondency, or disaffection;
but he foresaw and lamented its baneful influence on the small remnant of
his followers. In the anguish of his mind[b] he revoked the commission
of the prince, and commanded him to quit the kingdom; he instructed the
council to watch his conduct, and on the first sign of disobedience to take
him into custody; and he ordered the arrest of his friend Col