the Lord's day they regarded as little as any other. At their first coming, four of them came to my father's house, who was overseeing the making of his own malt; they told him they were come to make the Fig (so they termed the Presbyterians) to take with God and the king. This they came over again and again. They pointed to their shoes, and said they would have the broge off his foot, and accordingly laid hands on him, but he threw himself out of their grips, and turning to a pitch-fork which was used at the stalking of his corn, and they having their broadswords drawn, cryed," Clymore," and made at him; but he quickly drove them out of the kilne, and chaseing them all four a space from the house, knocked one of them to the ground. The next day about twenty of them came to the house, but he not being at home, they told they were come to take the Fig and his arms. They plundered his house, as they did the house of every other man who was not conform to the then laws; and such was their theevish dispositions, and so well versed were they at the second sight, that, let people hide never so well, these men would go as straight to where it was, whether beneath the ground or above, as though they had been at the putting of it there, search for it, dig it up, and away with it.

-When my father came [to Drumclog], the good people who were met to hear sermon, and the enemy, were drawn up in battle array, in order to fight. Five or six of the gentlemen who came to hear sermon, that were most fit to command the country people, took upon them to command, because some of them had been formerly in the military, as likewise my father had been. Two of whom went to meet my father when within sight, and gave him an account how matters was, and pointed out to him where Mr King was guarded on the left of the enemy by ane officer and four dragoons, and the officer had orders to shoot Mr King if they lost, and if the country people lost, all that was or should be taken prisoners was to be hanged immediately after battle. My father being a strong, bold, and resolate man, went on boldly and briskly in all the parts of the action, especially in the relief of Mr King, whom he set at liberty; which boldness and activity of his was much taken notice of by the enemy. The enemy lost the day, and had about 30 or 35 of their number slain, whereof, they said, my father killed seven with his awn hand, which much exposed him and all his to their after revenging fury.

-1682. The cruel enemy got my dear brother into their hands. They examined him concerning the persecuted people where they haunted, or if he knew where any of them was, but he would not open his mouth to speak one word to them; they spoke him fair— they offered him money to speak and tell them, but he would not -they held the point of a drawn sword to his naked breast-they fired a pistol over his head-they set him on horseback behind one of themselves, to be taken away and hanged-they tyed a cloath on his face, and set him on his knees to be shot to death-they beat him with their swords and with their fists-they kicked him several times to the ground with their feet; yet, after they had used all the cruelty they could, he would not open his mouth to speak one word to them; and although he was a very comely proper child, going in ten years of age, yet they called him a vile, ugly dumb devil, and beat him very sore, and went their way, leaving him lying on the ground, sore bleeding in the open fields.

-1683. Being the 14 year of my age, in July, one morning at five o'clock, I went out to a wood, and within a little I heard the sound of people among the trees drawing near to me. I looked up and saw men cloathed in red, and as I got to my feet, one of them bade me be shot. I said to him, "What good will my blood do to you?" And when he cocked his pistol, another of them said, 66 Hold, man, do not shoot the bonny lad." The man with the pistol said, "He is a Whig; I saw him on his knees.” They asked my name, and I told them my new name. They said to one another, they had none in their list of that name. They asked me, who learned me to pray. I told them, my Bible. He that commanded them, I think he was a serjeant, said, "Since we have none of that name, let him alone." The first man that came unto me, swore again, that he would have me shot, but two of them would not let him. There was about twelve of them in all, but none of them spoke to me but three, and two of these were for sparing my life, and so they went off and left me.

-1685, April 26.-In the morning the servants went to work in the fields, and I was with them. A little before nine of the clock in the forenoon, we saw a troop of dragoons coming at the gallop. Mr Peden and these that was with him in the house fled, whicl we at work knew nothing of, but we ran every one as Providenc directed; and the watchful providence of God, which was ever

kind to me, led me as by the hand to a moss near two miles from where we were working, to which moss Mr Peden, and those that were with him, were fled for shelter, which I knew nothing of. The way to it was very steep and ascending ground. Two of the dragoons pursued me very hard, but spying another man in their pursuit of me, him they pursued off at the right hand of my way: they fired at him, but it pleased the Lord he escaped at that time. Then other two of them came in chase of me. I was sore put to for my life. The day was very hot, the sun bright in my face, and the way mountainous, yet the Lord was very kind to me, and enabled me to run. I had many thoughts of turning to this or that way, and often I had thoughts of diving in moss-water pits, and saving my head in the rush bushes; and yet I was overpowered, beyond my inclination, to keep on in my way to the moss where Mr Peden and the rest were, at the edge of which there was a bogg or morass, about seven or eight yards broad, to which my good guardian kind Providence brought me at last; and here the Lord was a present help in the time of need to me, for just as I was drawing myself out of the bogg by the heather of the moss, the two dragoons came to the other side of the bogg, and seeing they could not get through with their horses to me, they called on me, "Stand, dog, and be shot." By this time I was got out of the bog to my knees on the heather. They fired upon me, but God directed the ball by my left ear, so close that it carried off some of my hair. I, finding that I had escaped the shott, ran farther into the moss, kind Providence leading me where Mr Peden, with about twenty more of the persecuted peeple, were, in meeting with whom I was gladly surprised; but I was so outrun, that it was sometime before I could speak any. We stayed there about three hours, till there came another troop of the enemy to join the first troop, and seeing them dismount their horses, to take the moss on their foot to search us out, after some firing on both sides, where was no execution done, we drew off, and travelled the midst of the moss. They seeing this, horsed again, and pursued us by the edges of the moss; but we allways kept ourselves on such ground where horses could not pass. We ran that day about thirty miles, the enemy still pursuing us. We got no manner of refreshment all that day but mosswater, till night, that each of us got a drink of milk. Mr Peden left these that were with him, and went one way, and I left them

and went another way. I lay all night far from any house, amongst heather; to-morrow, when I awaked, after the sun arose, I saw about 200 horse and foot searching all the country far and near; but I seeing no way of escape unobserved by the enemy, clapt closs amongst the heather; and so kind and condescending was the Lord to me, that not one of the enemy did touch at the place where I lay.

-Within three or four days, Graham of Claverhouse, a violent persecutor, came for a general search with 100 horse and 300 Highland men. They got sight of seven of us about the middle of the day. They pursued us all that day for thirty-two miles, till midnight, but the Lord preserved us from these blood-thirsty men.. We got no refreshment all that day, except a few mouthfuls of bread and cheese and moss-water; but the horse getting before us, and the foot being behind us, and we very much fatigued, we were brought to a straight what to resolve upon. But at last finding my comrades resolving still to run, I told them, that the Lord had preserved me these days past by running, but now, if he hid me not some other way, I must fall a sacrifice to the enemy; so, after prayer, my friends and I parted in the fields before the sun rose. Then I went to as obscure a place as I could think on, and clapt as closs as I could.-The enemy pushed by me on both sides of the place where I lay, like sons of Lucifer, their father; but He who made them held their eyes, that they saw me not, although they were three times within pistol-shot of me.-

-After this I languished some days, and then was seized with a high and violent fever. I got in to a poor man's house, and his wife made me a bed in the byre, beside the cows, that her husband might not see me, that so he might be free to give his oath that he harboured no whiggs. The very next day, one Colonel Buchan came with two troops of dragoons to search that country a second time. He, with five more, dishorsed, and came into the poor cottage where I was lying, and asked the poor woman, what men was in this den. She answered, she had no men, but a young lad of her own lying sick, at the point of death. Then they came where I was, and he lifted up my head by the hair, and a bended pistol in his right hand. He looked me broad in the face, and said to these that were with him, "There is nothing here but a young creature dying ;" and so let my head fall out of his hand and went away;

but I was then so sick, that I was not capable of fear at the dan ger nor of joy at the escape. The poor woman conceived such fear, lest she came to trouble on my account, would not, for any persuasion, let me stay, and so I was carried a great way to another poor man's house.

No. XIII.

[Paper Office.-Copy communicated by JOHN RIDDELL, Esq.]

The KING'S Letter to the PRIVY COUNCIL, concerning Mr ARCHIBALD RIDDELL, and JAMES STEWART of Freswick.

WILLIAM REX,

RIGHT trusty and entirely beloved cousin and councellor, right trusty and right well beloved cousins and councellors, right trusty and well beloved councellors, and trusty and well beloved councellors, we greet you well. Whereas we are informed that Mr Archibald Riddell,* Minister of the Gospel, and James Sinclair of Freswick, are prisoners in France, and are very hardly used, whom

* Mr Riddell was liberated from the Bass in 1685, on condition of his transporting himself to New Jersey, in America, to which he went in a ship freighted by Scot of Pitlochy. On his passage home, in 1689, his wife and three of her relations died, and he was carried prisoner into France, and treated with great harshness. The MS. from which Wodrow drew his information respecting this, (ii. 566–569.) is preserved in the Advocates' Library. (No. XXXIII. Jac. V. I. 25. Art. 117.) In the same library are letters from Mr Riddell to Lady Carlops, (No. XXXVII. Jac. V. I. 17. art. 26.) After his return to Scotland he became minister of Kircaldy. Law mentions "Mr Riddell, a new admitted minister," as at "Minniboll" (Maybole) communion in 1678. (Memor. 140.) But, as early as May 3, 1674, he had held a conventicle, in the house of Mr Patrick Glass, in Corstorphin. (Decr. Sec. Concil. May 6, 1674.) Mr Riddell's Examination before a committee of Privy Council in 1680, which places his character in a highly favourable light, is given at large by Wodrow. (ii. 128-132.)