mained in Scotland, but swore, if any movement was made towards England, they would immediately leave them.

On Sunday, the 30th of October, the whole army marched from Hawick to Langholm, apparently under a resolution to attack Dumfries, which the Scots represented to the English as likely to be an excellent rallying point for their friends, and as a capital port for receiving supplies both from abroad and from the Earl of Mar; the sea on the west side of the island being far freer of English war-vessels than the German Ocean. On their reaching Langholm, a gentleman who had lingered behind for intelligence, came up to acquaint them that he had that morning seen Carpenter's troops enter Jedburgh, and that they were so extremely jaded as to seem almost incapable of resistance. Yet, on the Viscount Kenmure representing this to a council of war, it was not found possible to come to any resolution to take advantage of it. The tamer measure of falling upon Dumfries was the utmost which the Scots could get the English

to consent to.

Early in the morning of the 31st of October, a party of four hundred horse was sent forward to keep Dumfries in check till the main body should march up to attack it; and this body proceeded all the way to Blacket-ridge, while the remainder were just preparing to quit Langholm. They were met at Blacket-ridge by an express from their friends at Dumfries, informing them of an immense body of volunteers who had assembled in the town for its protection, and beseeching them not to try their teeth on so obdurate a morsel. 6 As they lost no time in sending back this intelligence to the gene

ral, it was communicated to the main body of the army on a muir three miles west of Langholm, whither they had proceeded on their march to Dumfries. Immediately, the former dissension arose between the English and Scots; the first alleging that, since they could have no hopes of Dumfries, they should now determine for England, and the Highlanders as obstinately holding to their original design of co-operating with the Earl of Mar. A halt was called, and, the case being deliberated upon by all the officers, except the Earl of Wintoun and Brigadier MacIntosh, who were at some distance, it was resolved that they should invade the west of England, provided only they could obtain the consent of the two officers not present, who had always hitherto taken the lead in opposing such a measure. A gentleman was instantly despatched, to ascertain if Wintoun and MacIntosh would agree to their project. He found the Brigadier in the middle of the river Esk, in the act of stopping about three hundred of his men, who, already aware of the design of taking them into England, had commenced a retreat towards the Highlands. Borlum was now less indisposed to the counsels of the English than formerly. On the gentleman delivering his message, he cried, "Why the Devil not into England, where there is both meat, men, and money?" It would appear that this veteran, who, with all his military merit, was loudly accused of a mean desire of personal profit from his enterprise, had been gained over by the prospects held out to him by the English gentlemen, of the excellent quarters he would have in the land of the Southron. He accordingly exerted himself on the present occasion to prevail upon his men to obey the wishes

of the council. In the end, he succeeded with by far the greater part; but yet there were about five hundred, who, resisting all his arguments, marched off to the North, with their arms; being, they said, more willing to trust to the mercy of their countrymen, than to hazard the invasion of a country, where, in the event of a defeat, they would be cut in pieces or sold as slaves. It is probable that the fears of the Highlanders, on this score, arose chiefly from a recollection of the cruel fate awarded to their fathers, by the English Republic, after their defeat at Worcester.

The Earl of Wintoun was also so decidedly adverse to the plan now adopted, that he went a considerable way towards the north, with a small party over which he had influence. Being overtaken by the emissary of the council, and entreated to accede to their wishes, he stood for some time pensive and silent, apparently pondering the various chances of the two measures presented to his choice. At length, he broke out with an exclamation, which was certainly characteristic of his romantic and somewhat extravagant mind. "It shall never," he said, " be said in history, to after generations, that the Earl of Wintoun deserted King James's interest and his country's good. Then, taking himself by the two ears, he added, "You, or any man, shall have liberty to cut these out of my head, if we do not all repent it.' It was afterwards remarked by all sorts of men, as a very strange thing, that this nobleman, the sanity of whose understanding lay under strong suspicions, had a far clearer view of what should, and what should not have been done on the present

U

occasion, than any of his numerous compeers, men who could in general acquit themselves a great deal more like men of this world than he.

It remains only to be told at this place, that the whole army, exclusive of the five hundred Highlanders who seceded, entered England that night, borne up by the expectation of copious reinforcements in the western counties through which they designed to march. The retiring Highlanders were almost all seized by the country people about the head of Clydesdale, and committed to prison. When General Carpenter learned at Jedburgh that the insurgents were gone into England, he made a hasty march over the hills into Northumberland, and, throwing himself upon Newcastle, prepared to defend that town against the attack which he now expected they would make upon it. They, however, did not make the least inclination to the east side of the island.

CHAPTER V.

THE BATTLE OF SHERIFFMUIR.

There's some say that we wan,
Some say that they wan,

And some say that nane wan ava, man;
There's but ae thing, I'm sure,
That, at Shirramuir,

A battle there was, that I saw, man.
And we ran, and they ran,

And they ran, and we ran,

And we ran, and they ran awa, man.

Jacobite Song.

Ir is necessary, before prosecuting the adventures of the English party any further, to bring up the history of the army under the Earl of Mar to the same point.

Mar, for many reasons which to him appeared onerous, was still lingering at Perth. He had at length (about the 20th of October) been honoured by a commission of lieutenancy from the Chevalier. For some weeks he exerted himself with great vigour to lay the country under contribution; an assessment of twenty shillings on every hundred pounds of Scots valued rent being imposed upon all landed proprietors who attended his standard, while a tax of double that amount was enforced on those who did not do so; and the