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

38
WARISTON’S DIARY, 1651
both of the Staite and of privat so jours, who readily had
destroyed me befor now, wer not their feares 1 of lossing
the Registers, because my nayme was in the passe. And,
in al human apearance, unles I had com over and been
specialy assisted by God, they had never been rendred
agayne.
[Volume without boards.] 2
[Saturday, 12th April. . . .] I heard at supper my son
George could not stand upright, and the cause suspected
to be the catching of him whyl so young, wherupon I
prayed the Lord to restore and to strenthen him. After
I am asleape, I got a passe to M. M., and letter from
General, desyring back my former passes, and promising
on only for a moneth, which I thought strange and resolved
that I neyther could nor would doe.3 I saw, ever mor and
mor, their desseign and desyre to haive the Registers
keeped. O Lord, putt them faire off my hand.
Monday [14th April]. I did wryte to General heir
against his limitation of tyme for the Registers ; 4 and to
1 Were it not for their fears.
2 This volume lacks both beginning and end; but its opening entry has
obviously been a continuation of the closing one of the preceding volume.
* Cromwell’s letter, which is dated 12th April, is printed in Thurloe’s S/aU
Papers, i. 177, in the Acts of the Parliaments of Scotland, vol. vi. part ii. p. 888,
and in Carlyle’s Cromwell, letter clxxii. In the two former of these, Wariston’s
reply is also printed. It is dated 14th April; and its explanation, that Crom¬
well’s was received very late on Saturday night, fixes the date of this entry.
‘ M. M.’ are the initials of Mungo Murray, for whom Cromwell sent a pass
‘to go into Fyfe, and to retturne with the other darks.’ In this letter Crom¬
well expresses no desire to get back the ‘former passes,’ unless it is couched, as
Carlyle thought, under the word ‘perusall.’
4 There appears to have been no restriction of time in the previous passes,
which Cromwell now wished to withdraw or supersede. In his reply, Wariston
promised that, on ‘ the comeing of the clerks to know and receave every man
his owne Registers,’ he would despatch them with all possible diligence ‘to
the places whereunto they sail be appointed.’ If contrary winds and ‘other
necessary accidents’ should impede, he was persuaded that Cromwell, ‘in
justice and equitie, wold not suffer any advantag to be taken therefra in a mater
concerning publict records, which useth to be inviolable in all warres.’ And,
he added, ‘the sooner that the ship be redelyvered she wold be the sooner
ready, for I hear thear is a laik struk up in hir, and is not weell knowen whear