1661. that he only intended to secure himself, when he bought in prior mortgages and debts, which, as was believed, were compounded at very low rates. The friends of the marquis of Huntly's family pressed the king hard to give his heirs the confiscation of that part of Argile's estate, in which the marquis of Huntly's debts, and all the pretension on his estate were comprehended. And it was given to the marquis of Huntly, now duke of Gordon, then a young child but no care was taken to breed him a protestant. The marquis of Montrose, and all others whose estates had been ruined under Argile's conduct, expected likewise reparation out of his estate; which was a very great one, but in no way able to satisfy all those demands. And it was believed, that the earl of Midletoun himself hoped to have carried away the main bulk of it: so that both the lord Lorn and he concurred, though with different views, to put a stop to all the pretensions made upon it.

It was re

solved to

scopacy in

Scotland.

The point of the greatest importance then under set up epi- consideration was, whether episcopacy should be restored in Scotland, or not. The earl of Midletoun 131 assured the king, it was desired by the greater and honester part of the nation. One synod had as good as petitioned for it: and many others wished for it, though the share they had in the late wars made them think it was not fit or decent for them to move for it. Sharp assured the king, that none but the protestors, of whom he had a very bad opinion, were against it; and that of the resolutioners there would not be found twenty that would oppose it. All those who were for making the change agreed, that it ought to be done now, in the first heat of joy after the restoration, and before the act of in

demnity passed. The earl of Lauderdale and all 1661. his friends, on the other hand, assured the king, that the national prejudice against it was still very strong, that those who seemed zealous for it ran into it only as a method to procure favour, but that those who were against it would be found stiff and eager in their opposition to it, that by setting it up the king would lose the affections of the nation, and that the supporting it would grow a heavy load on his government. The earl of Lauderdale turned all this, that looked like a zeal for presbytery, to a dexterous insinuating himself into the king's confidence; as one that designed nothing but his greatness, and his having Scotland sure to him, in order to the executing of any design he might afterwards be engaged in. The king went very coldly into the design. He said, he remembered well the aversion that he himself had observed in that nation to any thing that looked like a superiority in the church. But to that the earl of Midletoun and Sharp answered, by assuring him that the insolencies committed by the presbyterians while they governed, and the ten years' usurpation that had followed, had made such a change in peoples tempers, that they were much altered since he had been among them. The king naturally hated presbytery: and, having called a new parliament in England, that did with great zeal espouse the interests of the church of England, and were now beginning to complain of the evacuating the garrisons held by the army in that kingdom, he gave way, though with a visible reluctancy, to the change of the church government in Scotland. The aversion he seemed to express was imputed to his own indifference as to all those

1661. matters, and to his unwillingness to involve his go

vernment in new trouble. But the view of things that the earl of Lauderdale had given him was the true root of all that coldness. The earl of Clarendon set it on with great zeal. And so did the duke of Ormond: who said, it would be very hard to maintain the government of the church in Ireland, if presbytery continued in Scotland; since the northern counties, which were the best stocked of any 132 they had, as they were originally from Scotland, so they would still follow the way of that nation. Upon all this diversity of opinion, the thing was proposed in a Scotch council at Whitehall. The earl of Crawford declared himself against it: but the earl of Lauderdale, duke Hamilton, and sir Robert Murray, were only for delaying the making any such change, till the king should be better satisfied concerning the inclinations of the nation. The result of the debate (all the rest who were present being earnest for the change) was, that a letter was writ to the privy council of Scotland, intimating the king's intentions for setting up episcopacy, and demanding their advice upon it. The earl of Glencairn ordered the letter to be read, having taken care that such persons should be present who he knew would speak warmly for it, that so others, who might intend to oppose it, might be frightened from doing it. None spoke against it, but the earl of Kincairdin. He proposed, that some certain methods might be taken, by which they might be well informed, and so be able to inform the king, of the temper of the nation, before they offered an advice, that might have such effects as might very much perplex, if not disorder, all their

affairs. Some smart repartees passed between the 1661. earl of Glencairn and him. This was all the opposition that was made at that board. So a letter was writ to the king from thence, encouraging him to go on, and assuring him, that the change he intended to make would give a general satisfaction to the main body of the nation.

out to be

Upon that the thing was resolved on. It re- Men sought mained after this only to consider the proper me- bishops. thods of doing it, and the men who ought to be employed in it. Sheldon and the English bishops had an aversion to all that had been engaged in the covenant: so they were for seeking out all the episcopal clergy, who had been driven out of Scotland in the beginning of the troubles, and preferring them. There was but one of the old bishops left alive, Sydserfe, who had been bishop of Galloway. He had come up to London, not doubting but that he should be advanced to the primacy of Scotland. It is true, he had of late done some very irregular things: when the act of uniformity required all men who held any benefices in England to be episcopally ordained, he, who by observing the ill effects of their former violence was become very moderate, with others of the Scotch clergy that gathered about him, did set up a very indefensible practice of ordaining all those of the English clergy who came to him, and that without demanding either oaths or subscriptions of them. Some believed, that this was done by him, only to subsist on the fees that arose from the letters of orders so granted; for he was very poor. This did so disgust the English bishops 133 at him and his company, that they took no care of him or them. Yet they were much against a set of

1661. presbyterian bishops. They believed they could have no credit, and that they would have no zeal. This touched Sharp to the quick: so he laid the matter before the earl of Clarendon. He said, these old episcopal men, by their long absence out of Scotland, knew nothing of the present generation: and by the ill usage they had met with they were so irritated, that they would run matters quickly to great extremities: and, if there was a faction among the bishops, some valuing themselves upon their constant steadiness, and looking with an ill eye on those who had been carried away with the stream, this would divide and distract their counsels, whereas a set of men of moderate principles would be more uniform in their proceedings. This prevailed with the earl of Clarendon, who saw the king so remiss in that matter, that he resolved to keep things in as great temper as was possible. And he, not doubting but that Sharp would pursue that in which he seemed to be so zealous and hot, and carry things with great moderation, persuaded the bishops of England to leave the management of that matter wholly to him. And Sharp, being assured of that at which he had long aimed, laid aside his mask; and owned, that he was to be archbishop of St. Andrews. He said to some, from whom I had it, that when he saw that the king was resolved on the change, and that some hot men were like to be advanced, whose violence would ruin the country, he had submitted to that post on design to moderate matters, and to cover some good men from a storm that might otherwise break upon them. So deeply did he still dissemble: for now he talked of nothing so much as of love and moderation.