r saw, and if he should ever do any thing against
that blessed day's work, he wished that arm (holding up his right arm)
might be his death. But finding presbyterian discipline too strict for a
wicked vitious life, he shifted sides and became major general to duke
Hamilton 1648, and came upon a handful of covenanters at a communion at
Machlin muir; and, contrary his promise, killed a number of them. He
became a great favourite of Charles II. and laid a scheme to take him
from the convention of estates to the north to free him of any further
covenant engagements, for which he was excommunicated by the church; and
though the sentence was taken off upon his feigned repentance, yet it
was never by him forgot, till he got the blood of the pronouncer, Mr.
Guthrie. After the restoration, he was advanced to great honour, and
sent down commissioner to the parliament 1661, where he got the
covenanted work of reformation wholly overturned by the infamous act
rescissory,--oath of allegiance,--act establishing episcopacy and
bishops in Scotland,--the act against the covenants, &c. But this would
not do; he must have a glut of the blood of Argyle and Mr. Guthrie: and
more, he behoved to come west, and grace that drunken meeting at Glasgow
by whom several hundred of the faithful ministers were thrust out. From
thence he arrived at Air, where he and some more drunken prelates drank
the devil's health at the Cross in the middle of the night. It were
endless almost to sum up the cruelties by his orders exercised upon
those who would not conform to prelacy for the space of two years; in so
much that he imposed no less than the enormous sum of one million
seventeen thousand and three hundred and fifty pounds in the parliament
1662 of fines. So that in the south and western parts of Scotland, men
either lost their consciences or their substance. But being complained
of at court, that he had amerced large sums into his own hands, he
hastened up, but was but coldly received by the king, (who had now got
his turn done by him) Lauderdale being now his rival: He lost his office
and honour, and lived sober enough, till as an honourable kind of
banishment, he was sent off as governor to Tanguirs on the coasts of
Africa; but he lived but a short and contemptuous life there, till the
justice and judgment of God overtook him; for, falling down a stair, he
broke the bone of his right arm; at the next tumble the broken splinter
pierced his side; after wh