the most facred, the most inviolable, and eternal Principle of being true to ur own Interest. But give us Leave alfo to tell your L- -ps, that we are not altogether of fo mercenary a Spirit, as to mind only our worldly Intereft. No, no, my Ls, we have a more excellent and fublime Mark that we aim at, we have a more glorious Race to run, and a Prize fet before us infinitely more precious to obtain; to which our worldly Concerns are chiefly fubfervient, and in the Pursuit whereof we never have, nor never (by God's Grace) fhall faint or be difcouraged. To be plain with you, my L-s, the great End we aim at is, the E-ment of our Apoftolick Church in the Purity of the Doctrine which it profeffes; not after a precarious Manner, ever wanting to be bolstered up with Difpenfations, Tolerations, and Bills of Occasional Conformity; but, my Ls, we hope to fee it Triumphant, as it has been long Military, in this World, and all Glorious in the World to come. Be not alarmed, my Ls, at this our frank Declaration, which you have fufficient Reafon to believe is fincere. Nor need your L Lps be under any Apprehenfion or Confternation at the Steps we have made, and ever fhall be making, towards the attaining this ineftimable Treafure; the Glory of God, and our own Confciences, oblige us be indefatigable in the Purfuit; for, my Lords, you may depend upon us, that we will fhew the fame Favour and brotherly Charity towards the Church of England, as she has ever fhewn to us; we will mete to you in the fame Meafure that you have meted unto us. Enlarge your Steps then towards us, as we have done towards you; let Peace and Righteoufnefs kifs each other in this our Age; all Things feem depofed to fuch a bleffed Union, we are already in your Bofoms, and you are obliged to nurfe us in it; you cannot shake us out. Be not guilty of a dangerous Opinitretè and impotent Obftinacy; we have fought a good Fight, and your L- -ps have made a great and long Defence; hitherto you have well deferved the Title of Courageous; but, my Ls, to fuffer yourfelves to be taken by Storm, when you may have honourable Capitulation, is quite contrary to the Law of Arms, and you will be look'd upon as criminal Inftruments of your own Misfortunes, rather then gallant Defenders of a Poft which you came into by a Kind of In—~on, and which you cannot much longer fly m-tain. As to any R―tion in Prejudice of the Act of S-tent, believe us, we fear it as little as yourselves. Thus, my Ls, we have ended our Enquiry into the two aforefaid main Confiderations, and upon the whole Matter, we have given the Caufe entirely for yourfelves; that is to fay, that your rejecting thefe Bills of Ocnal Coty was not the Effect of an effeminate Compaffion, not any little worldly Kefpect to ferve a Turn, but that it proceeded from your Gratitude, Piety, and Juftice towards God, and towards Man. Do not imagine, my L—s, we think ourselves difpenfed with from the Obligation of paying you our profound Acknowledgments. No, my L-s, they are by fo much the more inhanced, as you have fixed whatsoever Favour you intended intended us, to the Pillar of Juftice, which being eternal, we return your L ps proportionably, our everlasting Thanks. We humbly beg Leave, in a more particular Manner, to falute the Right Rd and the R-d the Ls Sal, who gave their Votes for paffing the fore-mentioned B-s, in the Words of St. John the Evangelift, dictated by the Holy Spirit to the Church of Ephefus, Rev. ii. 5. Remember from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first Works, or elfe I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy Candlestick out of its Place, except thou repent. The Massacre of Glenco; being a true Narrative of the barbarous Murder of the Glenco-Men, in the Highlands of Scotland, by Way of military Execution, on the 13th of February, 1692. Containing the Commission under the Great Seal of Scotland, for making an Enquiry into that horrid Murder: The Proceedings of the Parliament of Scotland upon it: The Report of the Commiffioners upon the Enquiry, laid before the King and Parliament. And the Addrefs of the Parliament to King WILLIAM, for Justice upon the Murderers: Faithfully extracted from the Records of Parliament, and published for undeceiving those who have been impofed upon by falfe Accounts. 1703. SIR, IN 'N Answer to yours of the first of October, I herewith send you, from the Records of our Parliament, a true and authentick Account of the Massacre of Glenco, as you righteously call it. I wish this Matter could have been forgotten to Eternity but fince you fay it is altogether needful for the Vindication of the Justice of our Country, against many false, flanderous Accounts that are daily given of that Business in England, I am willing you print what I now fend you; and that you may be furnished to answer all Objections against the Truth of this Narrative, you may inform any Englishman of Quality, that is willing to be fatisfied in the Matter, that the Report of the Commiffion, the Address of our Parliament, berewith fent you, and the Duplicates of the Lord Stair's Letters, are, or were at least, in the Scots Secretary's Office at London; or, if they should happen to be withdrawn from thence, they may inform themselves fully fully in the Truth of this from Mr. Johnston, who was at that Time Secretary of State for Scotland, and had particular Directions from the late Queen Mary to push on this Enquiry, and fearch into the Bottom of that horrid Murder; for her Majefly was grieved at the Heart, that the Reputation of the King ber Husband fhould have fuffer'd so much by that Affair. I would not, however, that Mr. Johnfton should know any thing of your Defign to publish this; for tho' you know as well as I, that his Diligence to ferve and obey the Queen in this Matter, was always judged here to be one of the chief Caufes of our Nation's lofing that able and honeft Minister; yet he is so nice in Point of Honour, that be chufed rather to be unjust to himself, and to lie under Imputations, than to give any Part of thofe Papers to be published, tho' frequently urged to it; because he faid it would be undecent in him, that had once been bis Majefty's Secretary, to do any fuch Thing; therefore, tho' you are carefully to conceal this Matter from him till it be published, yet as foon as it is, I must pray you, if you think it proper, to go and tell him that I beg his Pardon for making this Appeal to him without his Leave: And tho' I may suffer in his good Opinion by what I bave done, yet, if this Publication may any ways oblige him to do himself, bis late Mafter, and his Country further Justice, by telling what he knows more of the Matter, I shall be the cafier under his Difpleasure. I had almost forgot to notice, that the Duke of Athol, the Lord Chancellor, and Marquis of Annandale, all now at London, were Members of the Commiffion, who made the inclofed Report; and however fcrupulous they may have been in Point of Honour, to communicate any Papers relating to this Matter, they cannot in Honour but own, that this Hiftory is authentick, if any of the English Nobility think fit to enquire at them about it; but you must be careful to let none of them know any thing of your Defign to publish it, or which Way you have this Infor mation; tho', if they should come to know it, I chufe rather to incur their Difpleasure, by appealing to them, than to omit any thing that lies in my Power, to vindicate the Honour and Justice of our Country. Edinburgh, Nov. 1, 1703. Commiffion for the Trial of the Slaughter committed at Glenco, upon the 13th Day of February, 1692. G Ulielmus Dei Gr. Mag. Brit. &c. Omnibus probis hominibus, ad quos præfentes Literæ noftræ pervenerint, falutem. Quandoquidem nos confiderantes, quod etiamfi nos, Anno Dom. 1693, per expreffam Inftructionem, poteftatem conceffimus, demortuo Gulielmo Duci de Hamilton, aliifque, pro examinando & inquirendo de cæde quorundam Cognominis de Macdonald aliorumque de Glenco, An, Dom. 1692, & de modo & de methodo Commiffionis ejufdem. Nihilominus Inquifitio quæ tunc facta erat in profecutione dicta Inftructionis defectiva erat, nofque etiam perpendentes, quod quod Methodus Maxime efficax pro plena Informatione accipienda de veris Circumftantiis Rei antedictæ, erit Commiffio in hunc effectum, cumque Nobis abunde fatisfactum fit de facultatibus & aptitudine perfonarum Infra nominatarum in fines fupra expreffos: Sciatis igitur nos Nominaffe & Conftituiffe tenoreque prefentium nominare & conftituere fideliffimos & dile&tiffimos Noftros Confanguineos & Confiliarios, Joannem Marchionem de Tweddale fupremum noftrum Cancellarium, & Guliel. Comit. d'Anandale & fideles & dilectos Noftros Confiliarios Joannem Dominum Murray, Dom. Jacobum Stuart, Advocatum Noftrum, Adamum Cockburn de Ormiston noftrum Juftitiarium Clericum, Magiftrum Archib. Hope de Rankeiller, & Dom. Guliel. Hamilton de Whitelaw Senatores Noftri Collegii Juftitiæ, Dom. Jacob. Ogilvy Sollicitatorem Noftrum & Adamum Drummond de Meggins (quorum quinque Numerus erit legitimus ac cum poteftate iis Clericum fuum eligendi) Commiffionarios Noftros pro capienda precognitione & Inquifitionem faciendo de Cæde prædicta, per quos & quomodo, & per quam Coloratam Authoritatem Commiffa erat, atque in ordine ad detectionem ejufdem cum poteftate dictis Commiffionariis, requirendi omnia Warranta feu directiones quæ eatenus conceffa fuere, atque etiam examinandi omnes perfonas, quæ in re antedicta Negotium habuere atque etiam Testes prout Neceffarium invenietur, five per eorum Juramenta, five Declarationes, & tunc poftea dicti Commiffionarii Nobis tranfmittent Verum ftatum rei antedictæ una cum Probationibus & Teftimoniis coram ipfis adducendis, uti poft debitam & plenam Informationem, neceffarias Directiones, eatenus Concedamus prout Nobis Congruum videbitur. In cujus Rei Teftimonium, prefentibus, Magnum Sigillum Noftrum appendi Mandavimus apud Aulam Noftram de Kenfington, Vigefimo Nono die Menfis Aprilis, Anno Domino Milefimo Sexcentefimo Nonagefimo quinto, Annoque Regni Noftri Septimo. Per Signaturam Manu. S. D. N. Regis Suprafcriptam. Written to the Great Seal and Reg. May 20, 1695. DON. RANNALD, Deputy. Sealed at Edinburgh, May 20, 1695. Jo. DICKSONE. In English thus: ILLIAM, by the Grace of God, King of Great Britain, &c. To all good Men to whom thefe Prefents fhall come, greeting. Whereas We have taken into Confideration, that tho' in the Year of our Lord 1693, We gave Power, by exprefs Inftructions, to William Duke of Hamilton deceased, and others, to examine and enquire into the Slaughter of certain People of the Name of Macdonald and others in Glenco, in the Year 1692, and into the Way and Manner how the fame was committed; yet, nevertheless, the Enquiry then made, pursuant to the faid Inftructions, was defective; and confidering likewife, that the most effectual Method for receiving full Information of the true Circumftances of the Matter aforefaid, must be by a Commiffion to that Effect; and being very well fatisfied of the Abilities and Fitness of the Perfons under-nam'd, for the Ends above express'd, know ye, therefore, that We have nam'd and conftituted, and by the Tenor of these Prefents do name and constitute, Our right trufty and well-beloved Coufin and Councellor, John Marquis of Tweddale, Our High Chancellor, and William Earl of Anandale, and Our trusty and beloved Councellors John Lord Murray, Sir James Stuart, Our Advocate, Adam Cockburn of Ormiston, Our Justice Clerk, Mr. Archibald Hope of Rankeiller, and Sir William Hamilton of Whitelaw, Senators of our College of Justice, Sir James Ogilvy Our Solicitor, and Adam Drummond of Meggins (of whom five fhall be a Quorum, and granting them Power to chufe their own Clerk) Our Commiffioners, to take Precognition and make Enquiry into the Slaughter aforesaid, by whom, and bow, and by what Colour of Authority, the fame was committed: And in order to the Discovery of the fame, We give Power to the faid Commiffioners to fend for all Warrants and Directions, granted for that End; and likewife to examine all Perfons, that had any Hand in the Business aforefaid, and likewife to examine Witnesses as shall be found neceffary, either upon Oath or Declaration; and afterwards the fame Commiffioners fball tranfmit to Us the true State of the Matter aforesaid, together with the Proofs and Evidence that fall be brought before them; that, after due and full Information, We may give fuch Declarations thereupon, as to Us fhall feem meet and necessary. In Testimony whereof, We have commanded Our Great Seal to be appended to thefe Prefents. Given at Our Court of Kenfington, the 29th Day of April, 1695, and of Superfcrib'd by the Signature of the Hand-writing of our most ferene Lord Written to the Great Seal, and registered the 20th Day of May, 1695. DON. RANNALD, Deputy. Sealed at Edinburgh, May 20. 1695. Jo. DICKSONE. Upon the 23d of May, 1695, this Commiffion was read in Parliament, and the House voted, nemine contradicente, That his Majefty's High Commiffioner tranfmit the humble Thanks of the Parliament to his Majefty, for ordering |