not with, or take away, any the Arms there. And all Officers and Soldiers are to take notice that the same is per mitted. Given under my hand, at Dunbar, 4th September 1650. To be proclaimed by beat of drum.* LETTER CXL. For the Honourable William Lenthall, Esquire, Speaker of the Parliament of England: These. SIR, Dunbar, 4th September 1650. I hope it's not ill taken, that I make no more frequent addresses to the Parliament. Things that are in trouble, in point of provision for your Army, and of ordinary direction, I have, as I could, often presented to the Council of State, together with such occurrences as have happened; -who, I am sure, as they have not been wanting in their extraordinary care and provision for us, so neither in what they judge fit and necessary to represent the same to you. And this I thought to be a sufficient discharge of my duty on that behalf. It hath now pleased God to bestow a mercy upon you, worthy of your knowledge, and of the utmost praise and thanks of all that fear and love His name; yea, the mercy is far above all praise. Which that you may the better perceive, I shall take the boldness to tender unto you some circumstances accompanying this great business, which will manifest the greatness and seasonableness of this mercy. *Old Newspaper, Several Proceedings in Parliament, no. 50 (5th-12th Sept. 1650): in Burney Newspapers (British Museum), vol. xxxiv, he can ransom himself!—and the trooper kept him prisoner.10 The first of the Scots Quakers, by and by; and an official person much reconciled to Oliver. Ministers also of the Kirk Committee were slain; two Ministers I find taken, poor Carstairs of Glasgow, poor Waugh of some other place,—of whom we shall transiently hear again. General David Lesley, vigorous for flight as for other things, got to Edinburgh by nine o'clock; poor old Leven, not so light of movement, did not get till two. Tragical enough. What a change since January 1644, when we marched out of this same Dunbar up to the knees in snow! It was to help and save these very men that we then marched; with the Covenant in all our hearts. We have stood by the letter of the Covenant; fought for our Covenanted Stuart King as we could ;—they again, they stand by the substance of it, and have trampled us and the letter of it into this ruinous state!—Yes, my poor friends ;— and now be wise, be taught! The letter of your Covenant, in fact, will never rally again in this world. The spirit and substance of it, please God, will never die in this or in any world. Such is Dunbar Battle; which might also be called Dunbar Drove, for it was a frightful rout. Brought on by miscalculation; misunderstanding of the difference between substances and semblances ;—by mismanagement, and the chance of war. My Lord General's next Seven Letters, all written on the morrow, will now be intelligible to the reader. First, however, take the following PROCLAMATION. FORASMUCH as I understand there are several Soldiers of the Enemy's Army yet abiding in the Field, who by reason of their wounds could not march from thence: hereby havell fre These are therefore to give notice to the Inhabitants of this Nation That they may to repair to the Field afore any other peaceable way, such places as they shall 10 Diary of Alexander Jaffray the inner man of Jaffray). d, with their way the s -unhappil not with, or take away, any the Arms there. And all Officers and Soldiers are to take notice that the same is per mitted. Given under my hand, at Dunbar, 4th September 1650. To be proclaimed by beat of drum.* LETTER CXL. For the Honourable William Lenthall, Esquire, Speaker of the Parliament of England: These. SIR, Dunbar, 4th September 1650. I hope it's not ill taken, that I make no more frequent addresses to the Parliament. Things that are in trouble, in point of provision for your Army, and of ordinary direction, I have, as I could, often presented to the Council of State, together with such occurrences as have happened; -who, I am sure, as they have not been wanting in their extraordinary care and provision for us, so neither in what they judge fit and necessary to represent the same to you. And this I thought to be a sufficient discharge of my duty on that behalf. It hath now pleased God to bestow a mercy upon you, worthy of your knowledge, and of the utmost praise and thanks of all that fear and love His name; yea, the mercy far above all p eive, I shall t |