Series 1 > Diary of Sir Archibald Johnston of Wariston 1632-1639

DIARY OF LORD WARISTON
gracious, so glorious a work as is this renovation of that
national oath of the whol land with our aeternal Lord the
God of Glory. I thanked God from the bottom of my
heart for it at home, and feared, a litle, som rub from the
gentlemen ; som stop from the staitsmen and bischops, quhilk,
O Lord, for thy auin naimes saik, praevein and imped
that this glorious work of union with the, and of comunion
amongst ourselves, may goe on and be perfyted, quhilk wil
be the gloriousest day that ever Scotland sau since the
Reformation, albeit we sould perisch for the doing of it.
In the mean tyme, being advertised by Jhon Kelou of Sanders
Coupers1 speetches and threats eyther to haive my lyfe or I to
haive his, I was never dasched at the matter, bot went on to
gar wryte the Band in parchment, casting my lyfe this way
or that way in the hands of my God, the praeserver and
faithful redeemer both of my saul and body through Chryst
Jesus the God of my salvation.
28 Feb. Upon Wedensday, 28 Februar, that glorious mariage day
of the Kingdome with God, I was al foranoone with the Com¬
missioners of the barons, quho after long reasoning upon
Perth Articles did al appreive except the Laird of Ethie;2 so
the burroues. The noblemen haiving apoynted the body of
the gentrie to meit at tuo hours in the Grayfrear Kirk to hear
bot copyes of it read and to aunsuear objections, I propons
and resolves to haive the principal ready in parchment in al
hazards, that, in cais of approbation, it might be presently
subscryved. I mett al the gentlemen in on troupe going up
the cassie to the Kirk. I resolved to read and did read the
ifol. £9.] parchment itselth publikly, quhilk, after som feu doubts of
som, was approvin; and, after ane divine prayer most fit for
the tyme and present purpose maid be Mr. Al. Henderson, The
Covenant. Covenant was subscryved first be the noblemen and barons al
that night til 8 at night.
1 Merch. On Foorsday morning I had wryting in the night foor
1 Probably Alexander Couper of Foulford, Writer to the Signet, third son of
Adam Couper of Gogar, W. S.
2 Sir John Carnegie of Ethie, created in 1647 Earl of Ethie, which title he
afterwards changed to that of Earl of Northesk.