then only infifting against Skeen, and he adhering to all he had formerly declared, with this qualification, that he thought it lawful to kill the King if he came in armes against them, he was fentenced to be hanged on the 25 of November, and his head to be therafter ftricken of. He was repreived; de quo vide infra page following.

15 Novembris 1680. The Lord Ruffel and 200 of the House of Com- P. 4. mons, having brought up to the Houfe of Lords the ingroffed Bill, paft after 3 feverall readings in ther Houfe, against the Duke of York, for difinheriting him and all papists from fucceiding to the Imperiall Croun of England, France, and Ireland, (mentioned fupra page 2,) but prejudice to the nearest proteftant fucceffor, and that it should be treason to correfpond with the faid Duke, &c.; the faid Bill, by plurality of votes, was rejected, ther was 30 for it, and about 62 or 63 againft it, and all the Bifchops, fave only 3 votes, viz. Compton bifchop of London, brother to the Earle of Northampton, Doctor Pearfon bifchop of Chester, and Thomas Lamplugh bifchop of Exeter; all the reft of the Bifchops ware for the Duke of York's fucceffion, though a papift, thinking it unjust to deprive him of his birthright for his opinion: The peers ware not frequent when it was voted, but many ware abfent; vide infra.

Ther was only 3 members in the Commons House against this bill, viz. Mr. Seymour, late fpeaker, Laurence Hyde, the Duke of York's brotherin-law, and Sir Lionel Jenkins; fome affirme ther ware many mo against it. James Skeen, (of whom mention is made in the preceeding page,) having been perfuaded to apply to the Duke of York and the Councell, for a delay of putting his fentence to execution, till he had tyme to confer with learned and pious men, and informe himself of his principles, he obtained a repreive to the 1 of December; but he repented of this addreffe, and obftinatly maintained his former tenets.

On the 29 of November 1680, Archbald Stuart and John Potter being pannelled for the fame crymes at the Juftice Court; Stuart very boldly

B

ouned all they had done, and confeffed he was at Airdfmoffe fighting against the King's forces; Potter was more timerous, but his hand was at a bond with fome 30 others, wheirin he renunced the King; he would have qualified his adherence to these practifes, in fo far as they aggreed with the Word of God; but both of them are condemned to be hanged on the fame 1 of December, to which day Skeen was delayed; and accordingly, they ware all 3 hanged at the Croce of Edinburgh on that day, Skeen being all cloathed in white linnen to his very fhoes and ftockings, in affectation of purity and innocencie, and I wish it might be a prælibation and type of a white robe to be given him in Heaven; however, the fingularity was unneceffary, if not wain. I conferred with him the day before his fuffering, and with the other 2, I found him very fetled and compofed with much humanity and civility, but ftill ouning his opinions; he pretended to much peace and affurance of falvation, and upon my reasoning, he confeffed fome hæreticks had dyed with much seeming conftancy, but he hoped his was of another fort; he could give me no folid or fatisfieng returne; to that I urged, ther was no difference betwixt him and us in fundamentals, and that many godly prefbyterians difclamed the principles he was to feal with his blood; only he affirmed the Epifcopall and Eraftian Government had introduced errors in fundamentalls, befydes profanity and other immoralities; wher I preffed, we that are privat perfons ware not to answer for the faults of governors, but only to pray and mourn for them, he affirmed, from the old prophet's example, that we are bound to coerce them, &c. Affurance of falvation is always hung on the chain of truth, fo that we may doubt the boaftings of men dying in a knowen error, that ther confidence may be on mistaken grounds. Many thought, fince he had committed no cryme deferving death, the P. 5. only wenteing of theffe opinions (being interrogated theron, wheiranent men (unleffe fufpect) fhould not be infnared), fhould not be capitally punished, but fome faid he should be put in phyfitians hand for phle

botomy, and dyet to purge his melancoly, and keept in perpetuall prifon and firmance, that it might not be in his power nather to diffeminat nor practife any of his dangerous pofitions; the fear is, he might efcape and perpetrate on the King, or others, his bloody zeall, and then it would be vulneratâ caufa remedium quærere. It is true, the putting to death for opinions, is a popish maxime not yet receaved among proteftants, but that is to be understood when a man conceals it; but if he openly awow doctrines deftructive of all governement, the fparing fuch might in the event prove crualty; (fee the marginal note on the Act of Parliament, James VI. Parl 3. A&t 47, in 1572.) Mr. James Guthry minifter, in 1662, fuffered death for his judgement; and the very declining his Majesties authority, is declared treafon by act 129 in 1584, fo perfons doe not advert to the hazard of the diffolution of all governement, (which Camron, Cargil, Skeen, and theffe men aime at), who think it was hard to take ther lives for ther opinions, having perpetrat no capital action, and though Lex unica C. fiquis imperatori maledixerit, feemes to pardon words against the Prince, yet that is wheir they proceed ex levitate et infaniâ, and not when they are malitious to fhake of the King whollie, and affirme fince they are in a declared war with him, that he may be lawfully killed as ane enemy, ane perjured apoftat, ane excommunicat, &c.; for the poisonous leven may diffufe throw the giddy people loving changes, and alwayes inclined to beleive the worst of ther rulers, and may throw us in the fame ftate convulfions fuch tricks did formerly draw on us. See in my folio law manuscript, Neving's cafe, condemned for words against the Duke of York, its at the 15 and 16 July 1680, page 156.

In the debates betwixt the learned Origen and the Heathen phyfitian Celfus, Origen, boafting of the great conftancy and joy with which the Chriftians ran upon martyrdome, Celfus anfwers, this was no argument of a good cause, but might proceed from a blind mifguided light of zeall, from oftentation, and a stubborne præfractoriness and ftifnes of humor.

P. 6.

It is a ftrange humour of dying, Plutarch tells, fome Milefian virgins took of killing themfelfes, which they could not get ftemmed till they expofed fome of ther bodies ignominiously to public view.-See Plutarch.

The cause most be very commendable and juft, and clearly founded in the word of God, ere a man can be esteemed a martyr for fuffering in it : fee Rathillet's death alibi; as to pretended conftancy in dying, of Servetus and others of the Devill's martyrs, Non poena fed caufa facit martyrem, (Cyprian,) et fchifma vix martyrio eluitur; and a martyr ought to have a clear call and a humble frame and preparation of fpirit, and knowledge what he dyes for.-See the other octavo Manufcript, page 194 et fequentibus. Vide infra of 2 weemen execut for this fame caufe, page 13; and Alexander Hamilton's cafe ther.

In November 1680, we had the accompt of a moft dreadfull earthquake at Malaga in Spain, (our colder climate is fortunatly free of fuch,) which made terrible demolitions and devaftations, the ground opening and fwallowing up al about it, and particularly a river, which afterwards it caft out with fo great violence, that it made ane inundation.

In November 1680, Mr. James Lundie, on of the principall Minifters of Edinburgh, removed himselfe to Dalkeith, whither he got a call, which I mark as extraordinary, for to leive a better ftipend to goe to a much leaner; their ware fundrie conjectures about it, fome thought the Bifchop was difpleafed with the freedomes he fundry tymes used. On his removeall was advanced, in Februar 1681, on Mr. Rot Bruce, minifter at Auldeir; in this different from the great Mr. Rot Bruce, in King James the VI tyme, that this Mr. Rot is for the hight of Epifcopacie, which the old Mr. Rot ftrugled much againft.

Supra page 4 in princ: we have seen the Commons disappointed in ther defigne of difinheriting the D. of York, now they fall upon other methods for fecuring the Proteftant religion, as, that ane bond of affociation be entered into for preferving our King's life and our religion; of

which fee more in the other Manuscript in 8vo. page 181; and 2do. That the act excepting and frieng the D. of York from taking the oaths of alledgeance, fupremacy, and declaration, be repealed. See of this in my law Manufcript in folio, 4to Decris. 1679, page 99. 3tio. That the poft office, Portsmouth, and the fleet be taken out of the faid Duke's hands, and his gift to be Admiral of England declared null. 4to. Ane addreffe, that George Earl of Hallifax (who very lately was the great idol of the Commons, but had now deserted them, and ftept afyde to dine with his Majefty) be removed from the King's Councells for ever. The King's anfwer to this laft was a difcreet refufall, but if they would impeach him, or any other of his Councell, for any cryme, he should not hinder the course of juftice against them. See the following page, and page 9 in calce.

On the 3d of December 1680, on Dryfdaill, a weaver, affaulted on of his Majeftie's guard called Masterton, about Kirklifton, railing upon him as on of them that was acceffory to the murdering of the people of God, and particularly of James Skeen and theffe other innocent perfons who had fuffered tuo dayes before, and he wounded him with a fword; wheirupon the trouper perfhueing him, did at last apprehend him and bring him in prifoner to Edenburgh, wheir he feingied himself to be dif tracted. See the Edenborough Weeklie Gazet.

On the 6th of December 1680, dyed Æneas Lord Macdonald, a bold man, and a great oppofer of Argyle's, and defender of the Maclean's intereft, and who had a great influence and command in the Hylands, though his private eftate was very low, only he was popish, which made the Duke of Y. regrate his death the more. Vide infra, page 8, Aboyne's death.

About the 12, 14 of December, and for fundry dayes therafter, a formidable comet appeared at Edinburgh, and was seen in many other places. It arofe in the weft from a fmall ftar appearing a litle after day light was gone,