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I did not see nor know, but, as they told me after, the field was theirs. [Nine were killed in all. The inscription on the monument erected where they fell is in the Appendix.] I was brought towards Douglas. They used me civilly, and brought me drink out of a house by the way. At Douglas, Janet Cleland was kind to me, and brought a chirurgeon [i.e., a surgeon] to me, who did but little to my wounds, only stanched the blood.

"Next morning I was brought to Lanark, and brought before Dalziel, Lord Ross, and some others, who asked many questions at me; but I not satisfying them with answers, Dalziel did threaten to roast me, and carrying me to the tolbooth, caused me to be bound most barbarously, and cast me down; where I lay till Saturday morning, without any, except soldiers, admitted to speak to me, or look to my wounds, or give me any ease whatsoever. And next morning they brought me and John Pollock, and other two of us, two miles on foot, I being without shoes, where that party which had broken us at first received us. They were commanded by [Bruce of ] Earlshall. We were horsed, civilly used by them on the way, and brought to Edinburgh, about four in the afternoon, and carried about the north side of the town to the foot of the Canongate, where the town magistrates were, who received us; and setting me on a horse with my face backward, and the other three bound on a goad of iron, and Mr Cameron's head carried on a halbert before me, and another head in a sack, whose I knew not, on a lad's back, we were so carried up the street to the Parliament Close, where I was taken down, and the rest loosed. All was done by the hangman.

"I was carried up to the Council, and first put up into a room alone, where the Chancellor [the Duke of Rothes] came, and asked if I knew him. I answered yes. He, after some protestations of love, to which I answered nothing, went his way, and then I was brought in before the Council, where the Chancellor read a dittay [i.e., indictment] against me.

"First, anent the Archbishop's murder, to which I answered, I was obliged by no law, either of God or man, to answer to it, and neither to accuse myself nor reveal others, by vindicating myself, or any other

way.

"The Advocate asked where I was the third day of May was a year; to whom I answered, 'I am not bound to keep a memorial where I am or what I do every day.'

"The Chancellor asked if I thought it murder; to which I answered,

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though I was not bound to answer such questions, yet I would not call it so, but rather say, it was no murder.

"The Advocate said, 'sir, you must be a great liar, to say you remember not where you were that day, it being so remarkable a day.' I replied, sir, you must be a far greater liar, to say I answered such a thing.'

"Whereupon the Chancellor replied, 'My Lord Advocate, he said only he was not bound to keep in memory every day's work.'

"The Chancellor asked if I adhered to Mr Cargill's papers, which they called the New Covenant, taken at the Queensferry? I answered I would know what any would say against them.

"He asked if I owned the king's authority? I told, though I was not bound to answer such questions, yet, being permitted to speak, I would say somewhat to that. And first, that there could be no lawful authority but what was of God; and that no authority, stated [i.e., set up] in a direct opposition to God, could be of God, and that I knew of no authority nor judicatory this day in these nations but what were in a direct opposition to God, and so could neither be of God, nor lawful; and that their fruits were kything [i.e., manifesting] it, in that they were setting bougerers, murderers, sorcerers, and such others, at liberty from justice, and employing them in their

service, and made it their whole work to oppress, kill, and destroy the Lord's people.

"The Chancellor and all raged, and desired me to instance one of such so set at liberty and employed. I answered to that, though it were enough to instance any such, when I saw a judicatory to execute justice, yet I would instance one, and I instanced a bougerer, liberated at the sheriff court of Fife, and afterwards employed in their service, at which the Chancellor raged, and said I behoved to be a liar; but I offered to prove it.

"Bishop Paterson asked if ever Pilate and that judicatory, who were direct enemies to Christ, were disowned by Him as judges? I answered that I would answer no perjured prelate in the nation. He answered that he could not be called perjured, because he never took that sacrilegious Covenant. I answered, that God would own that Covenant, when there were none of them to oppose it. They all cried that I was prophesying. I answered, I was not prophesying, but that I durst not doubt but God, who had such singular love to these lands as to bring them into Covenant in so peculiar a manner with Him, would let it be seen that His faithfulness was engaged to carry it through, in opposition to His enemies.

"Some asked what I answered to that article of the Confession of Faith, concerning the king? I answered, it was cleared in these two Covenants. The Advocate asked, what I said of that article of the Covenant, wherein we are bound to maintain and defend the king? I desired Him to tell out the rest of it, which was in defence of religion, but not in the destruction of religion.

"The Chancellor threatened me with the Boots, and other terrible things, and said that I should not have the benefit of a sudden death. To which I answered, it would be but an addition to their cruelties used against God's people before, and that I was there a prisoner of Christ, owning His truths against His open enemies; and referred it to their own Acts of Parliament and Council, to let their cruelty and opposition to God and His people be seen.

"After this, they called for a chirurgeon, and removed me to another room, where he dressed my wounds, in which time the Chancellor came and kindly asked, If ever I said to a shepherd, on the Mounthill, that, if I thought they would not put me to an ignominious death, I would refer myself to the Chancellor? I said, No. He said that a shepherd came to him and said so. I said, That he, or any other that said so to him, were liars. I was asked by some concern

ing our strength; to which I told how few we were, and how surprised by such a strong party, and, knowing with what cruel orders they came against us, were forced to fight.

"After dressing of my wounds, I was brought back to them, and these things, being written, were read over to me, to which I adhered; and being asked if I would sign them, I said, Not. The Chancellor said, He would do it for me. Some one of them asked at the first time, concerning my being at some other business. To whom I answered, That though I was not obliged to answer to such questions, yet I adhered to all that had been done in behalf of that cause against its enemies. After which, I was sent to the Tolbooth, and have met since with all manner of kindness, and want for nothing. My wounds are duly dressed, which, I fear, may prove deadly, they being all in the head. The rest of my body is safe.

"In all these trials, I bless the Lord, I was staid, unmoved; no alteration of countenance in the least, nor impatience appeared. Some of them have come to me, and regretted that such a man as I should have been led away with Cameron. I answered, He was a faithful minister of Jesus Christ; and as for me, I desired to be one of these despicable ones whom Christ choosed. They said, It was a Quaker-like answer. I told, It was the words of Christ and His apostles. Bishop Paterson's brother (unknown to me), had a long reasoning with me, but I think not to truth's disadvantage. He told me, That the whole Council observed, that I gave them not their due titles; at which I smiled, and made no reply. He said, I was ill to the Bishop. I told that I asserted the truth. He said, That he never took the Covenant, and so could not be perjured. I answered, Prelacy itself was abjured by the whole nation. He told me, That the whole Council found I was a man of great parts, and also of good birth. I replied, For my birth, I was related to the best in the kingdom, which I thought little of; and for my parts, they were small; yet I trusted so much to the goodness of that cause, for which I was a prisoner, that, if they would give God that justice, as to let His cause be disputed, I doubted not to plead it against all that could speak against it.

"It was cast up to me, both at the Council and here, that there were not two hundred in the nation to own our cause. I answered, at both times, that the cause of Christ had been often owned by fewer. I was pressed to take advice. I answered, I would advise with God, and my own conscience, and would not

depend on men; and refused to debate any more, since it was to no purpose, being troublesome to me, and not advantageous to the cause. At the Council, some said, I was possessed with a devil; some one thing, some another; the Chancellor said, I was a vicious man. I answered, While I was so, I had been acceptable to him; but now when otherwise, it was not so. He asked me, If I would yet own that cause with my blood if at liberty? I answered, Both our fathers had owned it with the hazard of their blood before me. Then I was called by all, a murderer. I answered, God, to whom I refer it, should decide it betwixt us, who are most murderers in His sight, they or I. "Ye have an account, as near as I can give, of what passed among

us.

Be ye, and desire all others to be, earnest with God in my behalf; for I am weak, and cannot stand without constant supplies of the graces of His Spirit. Oh! I am afraid lest I deny Him. I have rich promises; but I want faith. Pray and wrestle in my behalf, and in behalf of the rest. And show this to my friends in that cause with me, especially D. K. Let all lie before the Lord, that He would show us the cause of His anger against us; and let me know, with the first occasion, who of us were slain [at Airsmoss].

6

"Commend me to all friends; and let none stumble at the cause, because of this. It was often in my mouth, to almost all,

That if we purged not ourselves of the public and particular sins among us, God would break us, and bring a delivery out of our ashes.' Let none murmur at what we should think our glory. And let ministers and others be afraid to be more tender of men, than God's glory; and however it be a stumbling to some, let it be a token of the love of God to His Church, to you, and all that love His truth. Pray for the out-lettings of all the graces of God's Spirit to me, and all the rest. I have need of patience, submission, humility, love to, and zeal for God; hope and faith above all, without which I am but a frail worm, and will fall before these enemies of mine, inward and outward.

"And thus recommending you to His grace, who hath bought us with His precious blood, and remembering my love to all friends,—

I am,

"Yours, in our sweet Lord and Sympathiser in our afflictions,

"Sic subscribitur,

"DAVID HACKSTON.

"P.S.-You may let others see this, but have a care of keeping

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