ousand of their enemies, and left the
Covenanters no remains of any army in Scotland. The whole kingdom was
shaken with these repeated successes of Montrose; and many noblemen, who
secretly favored the royal cause, now declared openly for it when they
saw a force able to support them. The marquis of Douglas, the earls of
Annandale and Hartfield, the lords Fleming, Seton, Maderty, Carnegy,
with many others, flocked to the royal standard. Edinburgh opened its
gates, and gave liberty to all the prisoners there detained by the
Covenanters. Among the rest was Lord Ogilvy, son of Airly, whose family
had contributed extremely to the victory gained at Kilsyth.[*]

David Lesly was detached from the army in England, and marched to the
relief of his distressed party in Scotland. Montrose advanced still
farther to the south, allured by vain hopes, both of rousing to arms the
earls of Hume, Traquaire, and Roxborough, who had promised to join him;
and of obtaining from England some supply of cavalry, in which he was
deficient. By the negligence of his scouts, Lesly, at Philipbaugh in
the Forest, surprised his army, much diminished in numbers, from the
desertion of the Highlanders, who had retired to the hills, according to
custom, in order to secure their plunder. After a sharp conflict,
where Montrose exerted great valor, his forces were routed by Lesly's
cavalry;[**] and he himself was obliged to fly with his broken forces
into the mountains, where he again prepared himself for new battles and
new enterprises.[***]

The Covenanters used the victory with rigor. Their prisoners, Sir Robert
Spotiswood, secretary of state, and son to the late primate, Sir Philip
Nisbet, Sir William Hollo, Colonel Nathaniel Gordon, Andrew Guthry,
son of the bishop of Murray, William Murray, son of the earl of
Tullibardine, were condemned and executed. The sole crime imputed to
the secretary was his delivering to Montrose the king's commission to be
captain-general of Scotland. Lord Ogilvy, who was again taken prisoner,
would have undergone the same fate, had not his sister found means to
procure his escape by changing clothes with him. For this instance of
courage and dexterity, she met with harsh usage. The clergy solicited
the parliament that more royalists might be executed; but could not
obtain their request.[****]

* Rush, vol. vii p. 230, 231. Wishart, cap, 13.

** 13th Sept. 1645.

*** Rush, vol. vii. p. 231

**** Guthr