ff coats and goodly
order. They had five colours or ensigns, whereof the Earl of Montrose
had one having his motto drawn in letters, 'For Religion, the Covenant,
and the Countrie.' The Earl Marechal had one, the Earl of Kinghorn had
one, and the town of Dundee had two. They had trumpeters to ilk company
of horsemen, and drummers to ilk company of footmen. They had their
meat, drink, and other provisions, bag and baggage, carried with them,
done all by advice of his Excellency Field-Marshal Leslie, whose counsel
General Montrose followed in this business. Then, in seemly order and
good array, this army came forward and entered the burgh of Aberdeen
about ten hours in the morning, at the Over Kirk gateport, syne came
down through the Broadgate, through the Castlegate, over at the Justice
Port to the Queen's Links directly. Here it is to be noted that few or
none of this haill army wanted are blue ribbon hung about his craig
[viz., neck] under his left arm, whilk they called 'the Covenanters'
ribbon,' because the Lord Gordon and some other of the Marquis's bairns
had ane ribbon, when he was dwelling in the toun, of ane red flesh
colour, which they wore in their hats, and called it 'the royal ribbon,'
as a sign of their love and loyalty to the King. In dispite or dirision
whereof this blue ribbon was worn and called 'the Covenanters' ribbon'
by the haill soldiers of this army."

The well-ordered army passed through, levying a fine on the Malignants,
and all seemed well; but because the citizens had not resisted Montrose,
the loyal barons in the neighbourhood fell on them and plundered them;
and because they had submitted to be so plundered, the Covenanting army
came back and plundered them also. "Many of this company went and brack
up the Bishop's yetts, set on good fires of his peats standing within
the close: they masterfully broke up the haill doors and windows of this
stately house; they brake down beds, boards, aumries, glassen windows,
took out the iron stauncheons, brake in the locks, and such as they
could carry had with them, and sold for little or nothing; but they got
none of the Bishop's plenishing to speak of, because it was all conveyed
away before their coming." On Sunday, Montrose and the other leaders
duly attended the devotional services of the eminent Covenanting divines
they had brought with them. "But," says Spalding, "the renegate
soldiers, in time of both preachings, is abusing and plundering New
Aber