that are yet putting some to death, and others to banishment. I bear my testimony against all imprisonments or blood, either shed on scaffolds, or in the fields; and against all reproaches cast on the people of God, calling them fanatics; and against all oppression done by the perjured prelatic party, and against all those that join in affinity with these persecutors: ye may remember what became of Jehoshaphat with Ahab; ye will find it in 2 Chron. xix. 2.

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"Next, I bear my joint testimony with all those that have gone before me, either in that way on scaffolds, or in fields, or shall go yet. pray God may prevent that any more should suffer, if it be his will; and I leave my testimony against all these wolves, who have entered into the labours of the faithful servants of our Lord; and likewise against all ranks and degrees that have done, or shall do any thing contrary to the word of God. And lastly, I refer you to the general testimony agreed to, and subscribed by us all five, as our joint minds together, beside our particular testimonies. So, recommending all my dear friends and relations to the guiding and protection of the Almighty; farewell all earthly comforts, and welcome Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, into whose hands I commend my spirit. Amen. "Sic Sub.-JOHN WADDEL."*

5. JOHN CLYDE.t

"Men and Brethren,-These are to show you the case that I am in at this time, and what the Lord hath in his infinite wisdom carved out to be my lot and condition at this present time: and I am but a very young man to have such a lot and dispensation cast in my way, at this day; and for my age, it is but small in account, and few in number, about twenty-one years of age. And I may say justly, as Jacob said to Pharaoh, My days are few and full of trouble;' although I have not come so far a length as Jacob came, nor have met with the hardships he met with, yet in my poor station, I have been trysted with sundry cross dispensations, according to my weak capacity, partly from within, and partly from without. And I may justly say, that I am the least of all saints,' and one of the unworthiest that have gone under the name of a profession; and far less to be counted

• Naphtali, pp. 476-488.

+ Nothing is mentioned either in Wodrow's History or in Naphtali respecting the profession or place of residence of this individual. He speaks of himself in his "Last words," as having been a ploughman, and in his Testimony as being a very young man, only twenty-one years of age. He judicially confessed the fact of his having been at Bothwell-and he here defends it on the ground of duty. So guiltless was he, however, with regard to the Archbishop's death, that, as he himself informs us, he had never even seen him to his knowledge. He seems to have, in a special manner, earned the displeasure of the council by his forwardness and firmness in refusing the bond. Wodrow informs us that, out of fifteen individuals who, in the month of August preceding, were, in consequence of the report of committee alluded to in a previous note, impannelled for life, John Clyde was one of two who resisted the taking of the bond, though strongly urged to it by the advice of one of the ministers. This, in so young a man, was highly honourable to his decision of character.

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worthy to give a testimony for such an honourable cause as this isthat the Lord in his infinite wisdom and holy providence hath laid in my way at this time-that ever he should have counted me worthy to have laid down my life in such a way as this. And now, my dear friends, I am to let you know upon what account I am to lay down my life, and what moved me to cast myself into this hazard. It was a precious word of God that gave me a call to it, as ye will find Judges v. 23. Curse ye Meroz' with a double curse, because they came not out to the help of the Lord against the mighty.' My dear friends, I confess, ye may object and say, that if the Lord had seen it fit, he could have made the stones to have risen up to have fought his battle; I confess that he could have done it: yet, however, the Lord allows his people to do it to the uttermost of their power, for the owning and maintaining of his work and interest. We are bound in the sixth article of the Solemn League and Covenant, That we shall, according to our places and calling, in this common cause of religion, liberty, and peace of the kingdom, assist and defend all those that enter into this league and covenant, in the maintaining and preserving thereof, even to our lives and liberties losing.' And I might prove it further from scripture, if need were. But I think, if there were but one page in all the holy scripture, it might be a sufficient call and ground for us to defend the work of reformation, even to the loss of our lives and liberties. As ye will find it, Jer. xlviii. 10. ‘Cursed be he that doeth the work of the Lord deceitfully and cursed be he that keepeth his sword back from blood.' I might insist and prove my rising in arms by these scriptures, but I shall not insist any longer upon it, because I had need to be taken up about other exercise than this. But yet I thought it my duty, to let you see upon what grounds I lay down my life this day, to put you beyond debate; for I thought it my duty, and do yet count it my duty, and am so far from repining, desponding, or grudging, that I count it my honour and glory, that ever I should have been counted worthy o give my weak and feeble testimony against a sinful and apostatizing generation, that hath trampled under foot the covenant and work of reformation, and counted the blood of the Son of God an unholy thing. This I may say, without breach of charity, and without reflection upon any body, for it is visibly seen by the generality of all the people that do countenance the malignant party. But I must confess, there are some better than others: but by the whole plurality there is nothing countenanced, nor carried on, but popery, and prelacy, and quakerism, and all manner of abomination: and there is nothing holden underboard, but the glorious work of reformation, which I am to lay down my life this day for, as a witnessing against popery and prelacy, quakerism, and all manner of abominations abounding in this poor covenanted land. And I think, any that are but half-witted, or have a spunk of mother-wit (as we use to say), may see that the Lord hath a controversy with these lands, because the righteous perish, and no man layeth it to heart, and merciful men are taken away, and no man regardeth it,' Isa. lvii. 1. And I wot well, it is clearly seen and made out in our days that this is true; for the faithful ministers,

and other Christians, are taken away, what by death, what by banishment, what by execution; and hunted up and down, that they have not so much as a house to stay or make their abode in. And for my

part, I shall say but very little to it; but I think, our king and Counsellors should think shame to do so; but truly I may say, that shame is past the shade of their hair (as we used to say in an old proverb). And as the word says, 'They have a whore's forehead, they cease to be ashamed;' for any body may see it so, or else they would never do as they do; for if they were not void of the grace of God, they would be afraid to do as they do. I shall say nothing to this purpose, but what I shall make good from his word: when David lamented for the death of Saul and Jonathan his son, though David was accounted to be king over the people of Israel, yet because Saul and Jonathan were killed by their enemies, David says, Tell it not in Gath, nor publish it in the streets of Askelon, lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph,' 2 Sam. i. 20. For truly I think, to my poor and. weak skill, our rulers should think shame to be using their poor subjects so for nothing, but for following the work of God, as they are bound upon conscience to do, to be executing some, and banishing others, as they are doing. But for my own part I shall say no more, but wish, that the Lord would not lay it to their charge, for I desire to forgive them, if it may stand with the Lord's holy will; and if not, I desire to turn it over on the Lord, let him do as he sees fit. Only this I may say, that it is for no evil that I have done, that I am made a gazing-stock to all these beholders this day; and I bless his name for it, I die not as a fool;-I have his own word for it, that if I suffer for him, I shall also reign with him;' and I wot, that the Lord Jesus owns the cause as his, and he calls it his temptations. Therefore, although it be somewhat terrifying to the eyes of the beholders, and to flesh and blood, yet it will yield the peaceable fruits of righteousness to all those that are exercised thereby. And although I am to be executed here, and my body, after I am executed, is to be hung up until it consume all away; yet I die in the faith of this, that although it should hang till it consume all away, and be scattered up and down the earth, till there be not so much as a hairbreadth together; though the fowls of the air should come and take away part of it, and the beasts of the field should come and consume the other part of it; and though, if it were possible, that fishes should come and take another part of it, yet I desire to die in the faith of this, that it will be all gathered together again, and a hairbreadth of it will not be lost, when King Christ comes with the sound of the Archangel, and the sound of the last trumpet, and then the dead in Christ shall be first raised,' and then we must all stand before his tribunal, and give an account of the deeds of the body, whether they have been good or evil;' according as we have done here, so it will be done unto us, where there will be no respect of persons, where the beggar that sits upon the dunghill will be as much thought of that day, as the king that sits upon the throne: yea, and 'Tophet is prepared of old, for the king as well as for the beggar.' Now, my beloved, I shall let you see the

confidence I have of this truth. First, ye will find it, Job xix. 26. 'And though after my skin, worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God.' Ver. 27. Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another, though my reins be consumed within me.' And likewise, ye will find it written in Isa. xxx. 33. For Tophet is prepared of old: yea, for the king it is prepared, he hath made it deep and large, the pile thereof,' &c. Now, my dear friends, I hope you will find nothing here but what is written in the scriptures, for this is of a certain truth, that it will be so both for kings, nobles, and ignobles, if they do not repent and turn from the evil of their deeds, and turn unto the Lord. But alas ! there is no appearance of turning from their evil deeds. The Lord has been shoaring (as it were) this land with sore strokes, yet we may say, as the prophet says, Isa. i. 5., to that wicked people, Why should ye be stricken any more?' for the more they are stricken, the more they revolt: but stay still yet, there is a day coming when they shall be made to hear, whether they will or not; Mic. vi. 9. there is a voice of the Lord calling to the city, compared to a rod: but alas! it is very sad to think upon it, that there are so few that are taking warning from the word of the Lord, as there is. However, they will be made to hear, and take with the warning, little for their profit, when the Lord shall be revealed from heaven, with his mighty angels, taking vengeance upon all them that know not God, and obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.' And now I shall say no more to this purpose.

"But I am to leave my testimony against Popery, and Prelacy, and Quakerism, and Erastianism, and all abominations that are abounding in this land. And likewise, I let all the world know, wheresoever this paper of mine comes to be known, that I die in the faith of this, -that the Lord shall have a church in this land, whether the devil or men will or not. We have his word for it; there shall be a generation that shall be counted to the Lord for a people that shall serve him, whether king or council will or not, let them do their best, and the bishops and all their underlings, and all their attendants: if hell, and death, and wicked men, and all were set in opposition against it, I say, our King Christ will be head of his church, say against it who will: and he shall reign in Zion till all his enemies be under his feet. Now, I shall say no more, but only two or three words anent the thing I was accused of, by those that pursued me, and that was the king's advocate, and bishop Sharp's brother, anent the bishop's killing. And whether I had spoken of it or not, there is nobody, but may know, that it was the only thing that made them so sorely to insist against me; I wish the Lord may not lay it to their charge: for 1 never saw that man whom they called the bishop of St. Andrews, that I knew by another man; and the other ground of my sentence was the killing of a butcher, who confessed that he committed both

• The reader must observe that this act was not charged home in the indictment on John Clyde, or any of his companions, personally—but only as the act of the party of insurgents, with whom he and they had thought it their duty to join. It may even be questioned how far it was the act of that body as a whole-but at all events, the motives which led to it were far other than those

adultery and buggery, and murdered a man of late at Glasgow; and when as himself did the most horrible acts that ever man did, yet they called the killing of him murder. The third ground of my sentence. was, that I was at the late rebellion that was at Bothwell-bridge, as they call it, the which I never held as rebellion, nor counted any thing that was done that way rebellion. I bless the Lord that ever he counted me worthy to bear witness to such things as these were. The fourth ground of my sentence was the hearing of rebellious ministers, that are holden out, as rendezvouses of rebellion, both in field and houses. My soul blesseth the Lord that ever I was witness to such meetings, either in the fields or in houses, as these were. I bear witness and give my testimony to such meetings as these were. For I may say, that if ever the Lord had a poor church in Scotland, that he has some [ministers] who have been wonderfully owned and carried on by the Lord's powerful and mighty hand, not only to the conviction of some, but to the conversion of others. And I leave my testimony to this persecuted and borne-down work of our Lord Jesus Christ, and leave my testimony against all the opposers thereof, that they are enemies to the cross of Christ. And now I shall say no more concerning these things:-But 1. I declare my testimony against all these forementioned things, and against all bonds that are not consistent with the word of God, and are not agreeable to the Solemn League and Covenant, and against all declarations and cesses that are for the army, to bring down the work of reformation, as it was once owned and advanced in this island of Britain and Ireland, and especially in Scotland; which was once the best reformed church that was in the whole earth. And I leave my testimony to the Larger and Shorter Catechisms and Confession of Faith. 2. And likewise I declare, that I lay not my life unwillingly down this day, but freely, without any restraint or constraint. Next, I declare, that I am free of all the crimes that they lay to me, for I was ever obedient to the king and his lawful authority, and do commend every one. in their places and stations thereto, so far as his laws consist with the word of God. 3. I declare, that it was for the defence of the gospel that I arose, and that of free-will, not allured, nor enticed by any body or person in the world. 4. I declare, that I durst not take the bond that was laid to me, and go over the belly of my conscience, and sin against God, and durst not take liberty to my body with prejudice to my soul; for, that word was borne in upon me, that those that save their lives, shall lose their lives. 5. I bless the Lord, that since I got my sentence I have been wonderfully carried through, not having so much as an hard thought of any thing that I have done. Yea, the Lord hath wonderfully upholden me since I got my sentence. 6. I

to which it was ascribed in the terms of the charge. The individual in question seems to have been chargeable with the grossest crimes-and it was for these crimes, and not for his zeal or diligence in serving his majesty, that he was condemned and executed. But, indeed, as we have already stated, the indictment against these five individuals is full of the most glaring untruths and misrepresentations in regard to the Bothwell insurrection, and this, as Wodrow remarks, is undoubtedly one of them.