by, as the sufferers. To silence which, de

ing that, through the neglect of their rigorous execution, they had not produced the effect they might have done: after this, I say, "it charges and commands, in his majesties name, all masters of families, that they cause their domestick servants, grieves, chamberlains, and others entertained by them, to give obedience to the laws aforesaid, and acts of council; and particularly, that they frequent the publick worship and ordinances at their own parish-churches, and participate of the sacraments, and abstain from all conventicles and private meetings; and that they retain none in their service but such as they will be answerable for: and in case of their disobedience, that they remove them out of their service immediately after intimation thereof by the minister of the parish: as also, that all heritors, landlords, and liferenters, who have granted any tacks or rental to their tenants, which are yet standing unexpired, cause their tenants and rentallers to give sufficient bond and surety for obeying the said acts of parliament and council, and specially for frequenting publick worship and ordinances, as said is, and abstaining from private meetings; and, if need be, that they raise letters under the signet of our privy-council, and charge them, for that effect, upon six days; and, in case of disobedience, to denounce them to our horn, and registrate the same; for which end, warrant is given to direct letters, in their name, against all and sundry their tenants and rentallers: and we do declare, that we will give and bestow the escheats, falling to us by the said hornings, upon the landlords and setters of these tacks and rentals, in so far as may be extended unto recommending hereby to our treasurerprincipal, and treasurer-depute, and others of our ex

chequer, to grant the same accordingly: and in case the tenants be removeable, and refuse to give obedience, that they warn and pursue them to remove, and obtain decreets of ejection against them: and that no heritor, landlord, or liferenter, set their lands hereafter to any person, by word or writ, but to such as they will be answerable for, as said is: and that they take surety from them, by provisions and obligements to be insert in their tacks, or otherwise by bond apart, in case there be no writ, that the said tacksmen, rentallers, and all others their hindes, cottars, and servants, who shall live under them upon the said lands, shall give obedience in manner aforesaid; otherwise, that their tacks, rentals, and whole interest, right, and possession, shall be void and expire, ipso facto, as if they had never been granted; and that without any declarator, or further process, and then as now, and now as then, that they shall renounce all right that they shall have thereto, and shall remove themselves without any warning; and in case of failure, the landlords and others are to charge and denounce them in manner aforesaid. As likewise that all magistrates of royal burrows take special care and notice, and be answerable, that the burgesses and inhabitants be obedient to the aforesaid acts of parliament and council; and that they cause charge such of them as they shall think fit, and are suspected, to give bond and surety, as said is: and for the magistrates own relief, in case they contravene, and if they fail, to denounce them in manner aforesaid: with certification that all masters of families, landlords, and magistrates of burghs, who shall not give punctual obedience in manner above written, that they shall be liable to the said pains and penalties due to the contraveners, &c."

* Wodrow's Hist. vol. I. Appendix, p. 88.

In an act, "Anent field conventicles," in 1670, it is ordained, "that no outed ministers who are not licensed by the council, and no other person not authorized or tollerate by the bishop of the diocese, presume to preach, expound scripture, or pray in any meeting, except in their own houses and to those of their own family and that none be present at any meeting without the family to which they belong, where any not licensed, authorized nor tolerate, as said is, shall preach, expound scripture or pray declaring hereby, all such as shall do in the contrary, to be guilty of keeping conventicles; and that he or they, who shall so preach, expound, or pray, within any house, shall be seized upon and imprisoned, till they find caution, under the pain of five thousand merks, not to do the like hereafter, or else enact themselves to remove out of the kingdom, and never return without his majesty's licence; and that every person who shall be found to have been present at any such meetings, shall be, toties quoties, fined, according to their qualities, in the respective sums following, and imprisoned until they pay their fines, and farther, during the councils pleasure, viz. each man or woman, having land in heritage, liferent, or proper wadset, to be fined in a fourth part of his or her valued yearly rent; each tenant, labouring land, in twenty-five pounds Scots; each cottar, in twelve pounds Scots; and each servingman, in a fourth part of his yearly fee. And where merchants or tradesmen do not belong to or reside within burghs royal, that each merchant or chief tradesman be fined as a tenant; and each inferiour tradesman as a cottar. And if any of the persons abovementioned shall have their wives, or any of their children, living in family with them, present at any such meeting; they are therefore to be fined in the half

of the respective fines aforesaid, consideration being
had to their several qualities and conditions. And if the
master or mistress of any family, where any such meet-
ings shall be kept, be present within the house for the
time, they are to be fined in the double of what is to
be paid by them, for being present at a house conven-
ticle. And whosoever, without licence or authority
aforesaid, shall preach, expound scripture, or pray, at
any meetings in the field, or in any house where there
be more persons than the house contains, so as some
of them be without doors (which is hereby declared
to be a field conventicle), or who shall convocate any
number of people to these meetings, shall be punished
with death, and confiscation of their goods. And it is
hereby offered and assured, that if any of his majesty's
good subjects shall seize and secure the persons of any
who shall either preach or pray at these field-meetings,
or convocate any persons thereto, they shall, for every
such person so seized and secured, have five hundred
merks paid to them, for their reward, out of his ma-
jesty's treasury, by the commissioners thereof; and
the said seizers and assistants are indemnified for any
slaughter that shall be committed in the apprehending
and securing of them. And as to all heritors, and
others, who shall be present at any of these field-con-
venticles, it is declared, they are to be fined, toties
quoties, in the double of their respective fines appointed
for house-conventicles; but, prejudice of any other
punishment due to them, by law, as seditious persons
and disturbers of the peace and quiet of the kirk and
kingdom 2."
-These were cruel laws indeed! and
they were most barbarously executed by Sir James
Turner, general Dalziel, the Highlanders, the bishops,

* Wodrow's Hist. vol. I. Appendix, p. 130.

and state clergy."Those who governed Scotland, under Charles II. in the latter part of his reign," says Mr. Mallet," with no less cruelty than impolicy, made the people of that country desperate; and then plundered, imprisoned or butchered them for the natural effects of such despair. The best and worthiest men were often the objects of their most unrelenting fury. Under the title of fanatics, or seditious, they affected to herd, and, of course, persecuted whoever wished well to his country, or ventured to stand up in defence of the laws and a legal government. I have now in my hands the copy of a warrant, signed by king Charles himself, for military execution upon them without process or conviction: and I know that the original is still kept in the secretary's office for that part of the united kingdom ".". -Oppression, indeed, makes wise men mad: and such oppressions as these, will account for and justify the insurrections at Bothwell and Pentland; and make us ready to wonder at the stupidity of a nation, who did not arm, as one man, against a government so unnatural and tyrannical..

"If meant the blessing, he becomes the bane;

-to such a prince,

The wolf, not shepherd, of his subject flock;
To grind and tear, not shelter and protect;
Wide-wasting where he reigns:
Allegiance kept, were treason to mankind;
And loyalty, revolt from virtue's law."

MALLETT.

Montesquieu has well exposed the wretched policy of such detestable proceedings, in the following manner :" If we may reason without prejudice," says he, "I know not but variety of religions may be useful in a state. It is observed, that the followers of a relib Preface to Mallet's Amyntor and

a See Burnet, vol. I. p. 238. Theodora. 8vo. Lond. 1748.