ore strength, twelve miles distant, and so escaped this
danger, as a bird out of the hands of the fowler. Yet such was their
lenity and clemency, that upon a petition from them, the foresaid
persons were set at liberty.

After this, the earl (now marquis) of Argyle had a most active hand in
carrying on the work of reformation, and uniformity in religion _anno_
1643. And while he was busied among the covenanters _anno_ 1644,
Montrose and some others associated themselves to raise forces for the
king, intending to draw the Scots army forth of England.--To effect
which, the earl of Antrim undertook to send over ten thousand Irish,
under the command of one Alaster M'Donald, a Scotsman, to the north of
Scotland. A considerable body was accordingly sent, who committed many
outrages in Argyle's country.--To suppress this insurrection, the
committee of estates _April_ 10, gave orders to the marquis to raise
three regiments; which he accordingly did, and with them marched
northward, took several of their principal chieftains, and dispersed the
rest for some time. But Montrose being still on the field, wherein he
gained several victories during this and the following year, and in the
mean time plundered and murdered the greater part of Argyle-shire, and
other places belonging to the covenanters, without mercy, and although
he was at last defeated and totally routed by general Lesly at
Philiphaugh, yet such was the cruelty of those cut-throats, that the
foresaid M'Donald and his Irish band returned to Argyle-shire (in the
beginning of the year 1646) and burnt and plundered the dwellings of the
well-affected, in such a terrible manner, that about twelve hundred men
assembled in a body under Acknalase, who brought them down to Monteith,
to live upon the disaffected in that country, but the Athol men falling
upon them at Calender (and being but poorly armed) several of them were
killed, and the rest fled towards Stirling, where their master the noble
marquis met them, and commiserating their deplorable condition, carried
them through to Lennox, to live upon the lands of the lord Napier and
others of the disaffected, until they were better provided for. And in
the mean time went over himself to Ireland, and brought over the remains
of the Scots forces, and with those landed in Argyle-shire, upon which
M'Donald betook himself to the isles, and from thence returned back to
Ireland; whereby peace was restored in those parts.[94]

Again