[56] "John Inglis, captain of a troop of dragoons, lying in garrison at
Newmills, in the West, a house belonging to the Earl of Loudon, having
taken some of these fanatics prisoners, and though he had power to
execute them, yet keeping them alive, some of their desperate comrades
breaks in upon the garrison and rescues them, to their great shame; for
which Inglis was degraded, and his place was given to Mr. George
Winrahame, a bigot Papist." Fountainhall, quoted by Napier, iii. 457.
This Winrahame may be the Winram who had to do with the Wigtown Martyrs.
According to "The Cloud of Witnesses,"
"The actors of this cruel crime
Was Lagg, Strachan, Winram, and Grahame."
A letter more or less in a name was of no account in the cacography of
those times.
[57] "The new reign was not to remain long undisturbed; before the end
of April there was the apprehension of a great civil war, and in May the
news came that it had begun both in England and Scotland." These are
Burton's words (vii. 258), and no one can accuse Burton of undue
partiality to James or his government. See also Aytoun's Appendix to his
"Lays of the Scottish Cavaliers," which, however, was written before the
publication of Napier's book had proved Claverhouse's responsibility for
the death of John Brown.
[58] Wodrow, iv. 148-9. He prints the declaration in full from a copy in
Renwick's own handwriting. The following extracts will give some idea of
it: "We have disowned the authority of Charles Stuart (not authority as
God's institution, either among Christians or heathens) and all
authority depending upon him, for reasons given elsewhere (disclaiming
all such things as infer a magistratical relation betwixt him and us);
and also we have declared war against him, and his accomplices such as
lay out themselves to promote his wicked and hellish designs.... We do
hereby declare unto all that whosoever stretcheth forth their hands
against us ... by shedding our blood actually, either by authoritative
commanding, such as bloody counsellors ... especially that so-called
justiciary, generals of forces, adjutants, captains, lieutenants, and
all in civil and military power, who make it their work to embrue their
hands in our blood, or by obeying such commands, such as bloody militia
men, malicious troopers, soldiers, and dragoons; likewise such gentlemen
and commons who, through wickedness and ill-will, ride and run with the
foresaid persons ... we say all and every one of such shall be reputed
by us enemies to God and the covenanted work of reformation, and
punished as such, according to our power and the degree of their
offence.... Let not any think that (our God assisting us) we will be so
slack-handed in time coming to put matters in execution as heretofore we
have been, seeing we are bound faithfully and valiantly to maintain our
covenants and the cause of Christ."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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