ed, and two small brass field-pieces; * which was not the general's fault, but occasioned by some men's sinistrous views. He further sent orders to the king's officers, and captains of the militia in Cumberland and Westmoreland, to attend Montrose with their companies when he was to set out for Scotland, and give him what assistance they could. Accordingly, when he was on his road to Carlisle, he was met by the Cumberland and Northumberland militia, to the number of eight hundred foot, and three troops of horse, who, in obedience to Newcastle's orders, were to follow him into Scotland. He himself had two hundred horse, most of them noblemen and gentlemen, who had served as officers either in Germany, France, or England. With this small army, and that not over trusty, he entered Scotland, on the 13th of April 1644, and made the greater expedition, lest he should disappoint the Earl of Antrim at the time concerted betwixt them.

* The Duchess of Newcastle, in the Memoirs of her hus band's life, asserts, that he gave 200 horse and dragoons to Montrose," though he stood most in need of a supply him. self, and thought every day to encounter the Scottish army."

CHAP. IV.

Montrose's English soldiers mutiny and desert.-He takes in the towns of Dumfries and Carlisle.-State of affairs in Scotland.-Sets out for Scotland in disguise; arrives at Graham of Inchbrakie's house in Perthshire.

MONTROSE having entered Scotland, and advanced the length of the river of Annan, a mutiny arose among his English soldiers, upon some provocation given them by Richard Graham's servants, and they immediately left him, and went back to England. Nevertheless, he marched forward to Dumfries with his own men, which was surrendered to him by the inhabitants. He waited here some days in expectation of the Earl of Antrim and his Irish auxiliaries; but the time which he had fixed being now long elapsed, and there being neither any notice from him, nor report of his landing in Scotland, and the covenanters every where overspreading the country in considerable bodies, he found himself in danger of being surprised by them, if he did not speedily shift his quarters: he therefore returned to Carlisle, where he arrived safely with his troops.

*

* Sir James Turner, in his MS. Memoirs, mentions an invitation sent at this time to Montrose to occupy Stirling

When he found that he could neither procure any succours from England, nor saw any prospect

and Perth. "Meane while my Lt.-Colonell (a brother of the Lord Sinclair) and I had severall consultations with my Lord Erskine, my Lord Napier, the Master of Napier, the Master of Maddertie, and Laird of Keir, all of them verie loyall persons, with whom we concluded it was fit to send two, one from them, and another from us, to Montrose, who was then in the border, to invite him to come to Stirline, where he sould find castle, toune, and regiment at his devotion, and St Johnston likewise. And, least he might think we meant not honestlie, in regard there had been no good understanding between him and my Lord Sinclare formerlie, his neece, the Ladie Keir, sent him a well-known token with Harie Stewart, who was the man we sent; and this he receaved. The messenger they sent was young Balloch Drummond, then very loyall, whatever he was afterwards. I beleeve he got not to him; bot Montrose having a little too sone entered Scotland, and met with a rasle near Dumfries, and upon it retired to England; it seems he thought it not safe with so inconsiderable troops to hazard so far as to Stirline, perhaps not giving full trust to our promise, and most because the committee had appointed a second levie, which then was farre advanced, under the command of the Earl of Callander, who, with the deepest oathes, even wishing the Supper of our Lord to turne to his damnation, which he was to take next Sunday, if ever he sould engadge under them, or with these covenanters, had persuaded me in his oune house of Callander, and upon a Lord's day too, that he would faithfullie serve the king. I say, by Montrose his neglect, and Callander's perfidie, was lost the fairest occasion that could be wished to do the king service; for, if that levie had been supprest, as very soon it would, and Montrose have comed to Stirline and joynd with

of speedy assistance from abroad; when he had lost all hope of the Irish auxiliaries, and, besides, had the mortification to hear that the Earl of Callander had raised a new army in Scotland to strengthen General Lesly, who, along with the English covenanters, had by this time laid siege to York; he, resolving not to be altogether inac tive, determined to join the king's forces which were in Northumberland and Durham. This resolution proved neither unprofitable to them nor dishonourable to himself; for he immediately drove a garrison of the covenanters out of the town of Morpeth, and took the castle; he gave the pillage to his English soldiers, and dismissed the garrison upon their giving their parole that they should never more draw a sword against the king.

His next attempt was upon a fort at the mouth of the river Tyne, which the covenanters some time before had taken from an English garrison;

our two regiments, as easilie he might, he wold with the assistance of Huntlie in the north, and these Irish, who soone after came over from Antrim, have reduced Scotland, without bloodshed, to their dutie and obedience, or else the Scots armie beene forced to have left England, and marched home to oppose us; upon whose retreate it is more than probable most of England wold have embraced the king's interest; the reputation of the Scots armie at that time keeping up the English parliament's interest; bot the inauspitious fate and disastrous destinie of the incomparablie good king wold not have it to be so."

this he likewise took, and sent the prisoners into Scotland, upon the same conditions as he did those he had taken at Morpeth; and then supplied Newcastle plentifully with corn from Alnwick, and other places thereabouts. After this success he received letters from Prince Rupert, Count Palatine of the Rhine, who was then marching up to raise the siege of York, desiring him to come to his assistance: he obeyed the summons with all expedition; but for all the dispatch he made, he did not come up with the prince till he was upon his retreat from York, the day after that unfortunate battle. * The prince at first frankly offered him a thousand horse to carry with him into Scotland; but some of the people about the prince, who had too much influence with him, made him alter this resolution; in so much, that the very day after he had made that offer, Montrose could not prevail with him to give him a single horse. †

quar

Montrose, though thus disappointed at all ters from which he expected any assistance, yet never lost his courage; and returning to Carlisle with these few, but trusty and valiant, companions

* This battle of Marston-moor was fought the 2d of July 1644.

+ Prince Rupert is represented by Sir Philip Warwick, and other historians, as having been exceedingly harsh in manners, answering every proposal he did not like with a pish."