Series 1 > Chronicles of the Frasers

POLICRATICA TEMPORUM
463
shot; being wounded deadly, is cacht and his assassines their
7 heads cut off and sent to Edinburgh, set uppon poles on the
gallowes at Lieth. Archibald, the cursed contriver, returns
home, catches a gangren in that finger which subscribed the
paper paction with Alexander M‘kdougall; it turns incurable;
he is advised to cut of that arm, delayes, in end spreads cancrous
and runs over his body and kills him ; the just judgement and
finger of God is here. I saw this paper and contract. I
knew most of these men; the circumstances were tedious to
set down: ex urxgue leonem.
*****
[Account of wars with France and Holland, and of the
Great Fire of London.]
In Scotland a ryot happened at Drumfrice in September, Penthland hills,
where 200 of the nighbouring parishoners, gathering together,
armd with clubs and syths, tooke Sir James Turner, generall
collector, to the marcat place all naked, and like to cut him in
pieces for exacting fines uppon nonconformists. Nor was this
contemptible number long agrowing and increasing to a con¬
siderable force. At last in all 1600 convocats in a body and
marcht within 4 miles of Edinburgh, where they were met and
set uppon by Lieutenant General Dalyell and Major General
Drummond, near Penthland Hills, and were there totally
defeated, 500 slain uppon the place, a 100 taken prisoners;
severalls of the rebells afterwards sentenced and executed ;
among the rest Corson,1 who began the muteny, and Makell,2
their minister, a main incendiary of the people; so that in a
short time all was husht into quietness. This was called by
phanatticks the fatall year, frightned the people with predic¬
tions of the Day of Judgement to fall in it, or an utter ruin of
Monarchy and Hierarchy; nothing but that Bishops should
be down, and that the last yeares comet presaged no less. For
me, I saw nothing that fell out but the plague, fire in London,
the seafight tuixt England and Holland. From the year 1660
till now Presbiterians united with us, frequented churches and
ordinances without distinction or objection. Captain Beatman
John Neilson of Corsock.
Hugh M ‘Kail.