Series 2 > Diary of Sir Archibald Johnston of Wariston, 1650-1654

WARISTON’S DIARY, 1650
presence breiding carnal confidence. ... At night Col.
Montgomry and Strauchan sent out with 800 horse. . . .
On 31 July, in the morning, wee heard first of their
disapoyntment, then of them boaring 3 or 4 bodies of
their horse even beyond their canon, but lost som good
men in their retume and was put to runne, and so wee got
a mixed dispensation ; hot, blissed be God, I heard never
men gaive a better chairge even to the routing of them,
and so helped to maik up our yesternight’s dishonour. . . .
If advyce given by the officers had been followed, 1500 had
been sent, and, in apearance, they had been defeate. Wee
heard sermon in the trinches. . . . My Lord Brody and
I spak our mynd f reyly to the King against his byding heir;
and so, for my exoneration, I told it also to the Committee.
The Committee apoynted some to represent it to the King
as their humble advyce, which wee did with great free-
dome. It troubled me much to heare of sundry good
Christian officers killed in that pairty of ours, Nairne,
Ferguson, Ballantin, Ker, etc. It shew a mixture of God’s
dispensation upon the mixture of our counsels and forces.
I wondred to heare on the uther hand the terror of God that
was upon the Inglish according to that night. . . . Their
foote and horse run ; four bodies of horse broken ; som
of them run to Bervik, som to Hadington, som to Tranent,
som 800 foote to Dunbar : General Lambert thryse shot;
Cromwel skarted in his legg ; Col. Hacker killed ; al their
airmy faynted and dashed. . . . Wee told the King’s
Majestic that God was jealous of His glory, and was lykly,
for that night’s work and exclamation, chaynging the quarrel
to undoe us. Carnal confidence in the on pairt, and dis-
couragment of godly in it, was lykly to undoe us ; and
then the society of Malignants, Ingagers, in our camp
comit skirmishes, under pretence of coming and vewing
the King, would undoe us. ... I told the King of . . .
Col. Boynton’s going out with Col. Montgomry, and of
the prented propositions presented to the Pope in his
nayme. The King at last condescended to goe away.
Wee maid a proclamation for Malignants removing out
of camp.