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第18章

lay morals-第18章

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 In the absence of Rothes; Sharpe  presided … much to the wrath of some members; and as he  imagined his own safety endangered; his measures were most  energetic。  Dalzell was ordered away to the West; the guards  round the city were doubled; officers and soldiers were  forced to take the oath of allegiance; and all lodgers were  commanded to give in their names。  Sharpe; surrounded with  all these guards and precautions; trembled … trembled as he  trembled when the avengers of blood drew him from his chariot  on Magus Muir; … for he knew how he had sold his trust; how  he had betrayed his charge; and he felt that against him must  their chiefest hatred be directed; against him their direst  thunder…bolts be forged。  But even in his fear the apostate  Presbyterian was unrelenting; unpityingly harsh; he published  in his manifesto no promise of pardon; no inducement to  submission。  He said; 'If you submit not you must die;' but  never added; 'If you submit you may live!' (2)

Meantime the insurgents proceeded on their way。  At  Carsphairn they were deserted by Captain Gray; who; doubtless  in a fit of oblivion; neglected to leave behind him the  coffer containing Sir James's money。  Who he was is a  mystery; unsolved by any historian; his papers were evidently  forgeries … that; and his final flight; appear to indicate  that he was an agent of the Royalists; for either the King or  the Duke of York was heard to say; 'That; if he might have  his wish; he would have them all turn rebels and go to arms。'  (3)

Upon the 18th day of the month they left Carsphairn and  marched onwards。

Turner was always lodged by his captors at a good inn;  frequently at the best of which their halting…place could  boast。  Here many visits were paid to him by the ministers  and officers of the insurgent force。  In his description of  these interviews he displays a vein of satiric severity;  admitting any kindness that was done to him with some  qualifying souvenir of former harshness; and gloating over  any injury; mistake; or folly; which it was his chance to  suffer or to hear。  He appears; notwithstanding all this; to  have been on pretty good terms with his cruel 'phanaticks;'  as the following extract sufficiently proves:

'Most of the foot were lodged about the church or churchyard;  and order given to ring bells next morning for a sermon to be  preached by Mr。 Welch。  Maxwell of Morith; and Major  M'Cullough invited me to heare 〃that phanatick sermon〃 (for  soe they merrilie called it)。  They said that preaching might  prove an effectual meane to turne me; which they heartilie  wished。  I answered to them that I was under guards; and that  if they intended to heare that sermon; it was probable I  might likewise; for it was not like my guards wold goe to  church and leave me alone at my lodgeings。  Bot to what they  said of my conversion; I said it wold be hard to turne a  Turner。  Bot because I founde them in a merrie humour; I  said; if I did not come to heare Mr。 Welch preach; then they  might fine me in fortie shillings Scots; which was double the  suome of what I had exacted from the phanatics。' (4)

This took place at Ochiltree; on the 22nd day of the month。   The following is recounted by this personage with malicious  glee; and certainly; if authentic; it is a sad proof of how  chaff is mixed with wheat; and how ignorant; almost impious;  persons were engaged in this movement; nevertheless we give  it; for we wish to present with impartiality all the alleged  facts to the reader:

'Towards the evening Mr。 Robinsone and Mr。 Crukshank gaue me  a visite; I called for some ale purposelie to heare one of  them blesse it。  It fell Mr。 Robinsone to seeke the blessing;  who said one of the most bombastick graces that ever I heard  in my life。  He summoned God Allmightie very imperiouslie to  be their secondarie (for that was his language)。  〃And if;〃  said he; 〃thou wilt not be our Secondarie; we will not fight  for thee at all; for it is not our cause bot thy cause; and  if thou wilt not fight for our cause and thy oune cause; then  we are not obliged to fight for it。  They say;〃 said he;  〃that Dukes; Earles; and Lords are coming with the King's  General against us; bot they shall be nothing bot a threshing  to us。〃  This grace did more fullie satisfie me of the folly  and injustice of their cause; then the ale did quench my  thirst。' (5)

Frequently the rebels made a halt near some roadside  alehouse; or in some convenient park; where Colonel Wallace;  who had now taken the command; would review the horse and  foot; during which time Turner was sent either into the  alehouse or round the shoulder of the hill; to prevent him  from seeing the disorders which were likely to arise。  He  was; at last; on the 25th day of the month; between Douglas  and Lanark; permitted to behold their evolutions。  'I found  their horse did consist of four hundreth and fortie; and the  foot of five hundreth and upwards。 。 。 。 The horsemen were  armed for most part with suord and pistoll; some onlie with  suord。  The foot with musket; pike; sith (scythe); forke; and  suord; and some with suords great and long。'  He admired much  the proficiency of their cavalry; and marvelled how they had  attained to it in so short a time。 (6)

At Douglas; which they had just left on the morning of this  great wapinshaw; they were charged … awful picture of  depravity! … with the theft of a silver spoon and a  nightgown。  Could it be expected that while the whole country  swarmed with robbers of every description; such a rare  opportunity for plunder should be lost by rogues … that among  a thousand men; even though fighting for religion; there  should not be one Achan in the camp?  At Lanark a declaration  was drawn up and signed by the chief rebels。  In it occurs  the following:

'The just sense whereof ' … the sufferings of the country …  'made us choose; rather to betake ourselves to the fields for  self…defence; than to stay at home; burdened daily with the  calamities of others; and tortured with the fears of our own  approaching misery。' (7)

The whole body; too; swore the Covenant; to which ceremony  the epitaph at the head of this chapter seems to refer。

A report that Dalzell was approaching drove them from Lanark  to Bathgate; where; on the evening of Monday the 26th; the  wearied army stopped。  But at twelve o'clock the cry; which  served them for a trumpet; of 'Horse! horse!' and 'Mount the  prisoner!' resounded through the night…shrouded town; and  called the peasants from their well…earned rest to toil  onwards in their march。  The wind howled fiercely over the  moorland; a close; thick; wetting rain descended。  Chilled to  the bone; worn out with long fatigue; sinking to the knees in  mire; onward they marched to destruction。  One by one the  weary peasants fell off from their ranks to sleep; and die in  the rain…soaked moor; or to seek some house by the wayside  wherein to hide till daybreak。  One by one at first; then in  gradually increasing numbers; at every shelter that was seen;  whole troops left the waning squadrons; and rushed to hide  themselves from the ferocity of the tempest。  To right and  left nought could be descried but the broad expanse of the  moor; and the figures of their fellow…rebels; seen dimly  through the murky night; plodding onwards through the sinking  moss。  Those who kept together … a miserable few … often  halted to rest themselves; and to allow their lagging  comrades to overtake them。  Then onward they went again;  still hoping for assistance; reinforcement; and supplies;  onward again; through the wind; and the rain; and the  darkness … onward to their defeat at Pentland; and their  scaffold at Edinburgh。  It was calculated that they lost one  half of their army on that disastrous night…march。

Next night they reached the village of Colinton; four miles  from Edinburgh; where they halted for the last time。 (8)


(1) A CLOUD OF WITNESSES; p。 376。 (2) Wodrow; pp。 19; 20。 (3) A HIND LET LOOSE; p。 123。 (4) Turner; p。 163。 (5) Turner; p。 198。 (6) IBID。 p。 167。 (7) Wodrow; p。 29。 (8) Turner; Wodrow; and CHURCH HISTORY by James Kirkton; an  outed minister of the period。



THE PENTLAND RISING  CHAPTER IV … RULLIO

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