owever, he was sent to
the Bass, and from thence (I suppose) to Blackness, where from 1683, he
continued till he was liberated at the Revolution.--It is to be
lamented, that neither he, after this, nor his son Sir Thomas, fully
followed the steps of their ancestors.

[166] Since the publication of the above, I received the following
account of the taking of Mr. King in a letter from a correspondent.

Mr King having come to pay his respects to the Laird of Blair, (in Dalry
parish near Kilwinning to whom formerly he had been some time chaplain)
one Bryce Blair, a farmer, who had been groom there while Mr. King was
about that house, getting notice, came and desired Mr King to pay him a
visit, to which he consented. Accordingly, he went where he preached a
short word on the Saturday night following. But on the Sabbath morning,
a party of the enemy (according to some, Crighton's dragoons) being in
quest of him, and getting the scent, two of them in disguise came to an
old man feeding cattle near Bryce Blair's house, and asked him, whether
he knew where that godly minister Mr. King was; for they were afraid he
would be taken, as the enemy were in pursuit of him; and if they knew
where he was, they would secure him from them. The old man having more
honesty than policy, cried out, I'll run and tell him. Whereupon they
rode full speed after him to the house. Finding a servant of the house
waiting on Mr King's and his servant's horses, they immediately
dismounted, and having driven their own horses into the standing corn,
threatening him not to stir from the spot on pain of death, one of them
took his saddle, and putting it on Mr. King's horse said, Many a mile
have I rode after thee, but I shall ride upon thee now.

By this time the rest had surrounded the house, and Mr. King and his
servant being in bed they immediately commanded them to rise and put on
their cloaths. While his servant was putting on his spurs, one of the
soldiers damned him, saying, was he putting a spur on a prisoner? To
whom he replied, He would put on what he pleased: For which he received
from him a blow: then another gave that soldier a blow, saying, Damn
you, sir, are you striking a prisoner, while making no resistance. In
the hurry, Mr. King's servant threw his master's wallees into a peat
loft. Thus they were both carried off. They hired one David Cumming in
the same parish to be their guide to Glasgow, who willingly consented.
They pressed a horse