pretty near equal on both sides. Montrose passed by Beauly into Ross-shire, whither the enemy followed him, with an intention to force him to an engagement in the plain grounds, where he would have had the disadvantage; but, besides that the enemy's strength was far superior to his, he could not rely upon the fidelity of the country people, and Seaforth's new raised men were deserting in great numbers, which made him see the necessity of disengaging himself from the enemy's horse as fast as possible; wherefore, passing by Lochness, he marched through Strathglass and Strath-harrig, and came to the banks of the Spey.

He had resolved to treat Huntly as a public enemy, if he did not alter his conduct; but would still once more try every gentle method to bring him to a better mind. For this purpose, taking with him only one troop of horse for his life-guard, he rode with all speed to his house of Bog of Gicht, which was twenty miles off; and in his way sent off a messenger to advertise him of his coming, and inform him, that he had come in such haste, and without any force, merely to pay his compliments to him, and to consult with him concerning the king's service; for which he was the more earnest, having just then received some letters from his majesty at Oxford, which he wanted to communicate to him. But Huntly, terrified with the first notice of his coming, and not daring to encounter the presence of so great a man, im

mediately mounted on horseback, and rode off, attended only by one servant, without vouchsafing his majesty's deputy-governor the favour of a conference, or the smallest entertainment at his house. How soon Montrose understood that he was gone off, he returned back these twenty miles that same day, which was the twenty-seventh of May; and was extremely careful to conceal this froward behaviour, for fear of the bad consequences it might produce if publicly known. However, his precaution was to no purpose; for the Gordons themselves, and others of Huntly's own friends, who were gentlemen of great worth and probity, in order to acquit themselves of the imputation of any accession to, or approbation of such disgraceful conduct, published the whole matter with the highest indignation, and not without severe imprecations against their lord and chief.

It is not easy to say how much his conduct stag gered the resolutions of the rest of the north country gentlemen. The Earl of Seaforth, who was but lately, and not without great difficulty, brought to join the loyal party, begun to falter, and some people pretended to say, that, not being yet quite resolved, he was, at this very time, in a private treaty for making up his peace with the covenanters ; which, however, I do not believe. Sir Alexander Macdonald likewise, though often and earnestly entreated to return, yet, from day to day, made trifling and silly excuses for his delay, which gave

occasion to various and doubtful reports concerning him; as that, notwithstanding he was an irreconcileable enemy to Argyle, yet he held a private correspondence with the Hamiltons, upon whose friendship and patronage he relied, and therefore staid at home, solely intent upon the private affairs of the Macdonalds, without giving himself any concern for the public.

All these things considered, Montrose thought that no time was to be lost in executing his design of making a tour in person through all the north country, and the Highlands. He proposed to carry along with him a resolute and expeditious party, and to raise new forces as he went along, giving all due encouragement to those who shewed themselves ready and forward, but exercising the full severity of the laws and immediate punishment upon such as were backward and refractory; thereby compelling them to their duty, as sickly children must be constrained to take medicines for their health. He was encouraged to take this course by the advice of many of his friends, who also promised their utmost assistance to enable him to go through with it.

While matters stood thus about Inverness, the Marquis of Huntly, that he might not seem never to have done any thing merely by his own conduct, or without Montrose's assistance, besieged and took Aberdeen, which Middleton then kept with a

*

*May 14, 1646.

R

garrison of five hundred men; but with much greater hurt to his own friends than to the enemy; for, besides the loss of many of his own brave men, he gave his Highlanders leave to pillage the city. Now, in what respect these innocent people had failed in their duty either to the king or to Huntly, is not easy to conjecture, when it is considered, that no city in Scotland had shewn greater testimonies of their fidelity and loyalty than the city of Aberdeen. On the other hand, he had taken a good many prisoners, and those of considerable note, among the enemy; but his treatment of them was more like one making his court to them than in the style of a conqueror, for he dismissed them all without any promise or condition, though there were among them several colonels and gentlemen of rank, who happened accidentally to be in Aberdeen at the time, and who might have been exchanged for a like number of his own friends, many of whom were kept in close durance both in Scotland and England; but he was always more ready to do good offices to his declared enemies than to his real friends.

CHAP. XXI.

Montrose receives orders from the king to disband his army.Demands a second order.—Which is sent him, with conditions for himself and his friends.-Whereupon he disbands his army.-The covenanters endeavour to ensnare him. He and his friends sail for Norway.

WHILE Montrose was intent on his design of recruiting his army, upon the last of May there arrived a messenger to him from the king, who had unfortunately thrown himself upon the army of the Scots covenanters at Newcastle, with orders to disband his forces immediately, and withdraw himself into France, and there wait his majesty's further orders. Montrose was shocked at this unexpected message; he saw the king's affairs now brought to a crisis, and bitterly lamented his unlucky fate, which had forced him into the hands of his most inveterate enemies; and though he made no doubt but these orders had been extorted from him, through force and threats, by the covenanters, who now had him in their power, yet he was at a loss what course to follow. If he should yield an implicit obedience, and lay down his arms, then the lives and fortunes, both of himself