asserted, in the appendix to the Life of Archbishop Sharp, to have deserted the church, and followed after field conventicles long previous to the Bishop's murder, "glorying," according to the writer," to be reputed one of the most furious zealots, and stoutest champions of the phanatick party in Fife; for which he was denounced, and intercommuned." In the year 1677, he was attacked by a party sent out to apprehend him, in his own house, the details of which affray are thus given by the Reverend Mr James Kirkton in his History of the Church of Scotland. "Another accident, at this time, helped to inflame the displeasure of our governours, and that was this: Captain Carstaires was at that time very bussie in the east end of Fyffe; the Lady Colvill he chased out of her own house, and by constraining her to lie upon the mountains, broke the poor ladie's health; William Sherthumb he laid in prison, but the doores were opened, and he set free. But the poor people of that country who were conventiclers, knew not what to doe; so some dozen of them mett at Kinloch, the house of John Balfour, a bold man, who was himself present, and with him Alexander Hamilton of Kincaill, a most irreconcileable enemy to the bishops, also Robert Hamilton, younger son to Sir Robert Hamilton of Preston, a man who had very lately changed his character, and of a loose youth became a high strained zealot; but a man he was who made a great deal more noise than ever he did business, and some countreymen more. Of these Carstaires gets intelligence, and so comes upon them very boldly with his party of some eight or nine horses, among whom Philip Garret, a desperate English tinker, was chief. Garret alights, and perceiving a man standing in the door of the house, fires upon him, but misses him; upon which one out of the chamber fires upon Garret, being at that time in the court of the house; the shot pierced Garret's shoulder, and made him fall. Carstaires fired in at another door, and pierced the leg of a man in the house; but upon this, all within horsed, and chased Carstaires and his party, though no more blood was shed, only Kincaill's horse was shott, and Garrett received some more blows with a sword, but his life was spared. This action, upon Carstaires's information, was reckoned resistance and rebellion. All present, because they appeared not when called, were denunced rebells, and some who were not present, were denunced with the rest, as it was very frequently done; but this was charged upon the whole party."* It may be remarked, that Kirkton mistakes one Garret for the infamous English tinker Scarlet, who, after riding as one of Mr John Welch's body guard, was suspected to have been concerned in the barbarous murder of two soldiers at Newmills; † and that the Tory account of this fracas states Balfour to have removed his wife and children out of the house, expecting the attack, for which he was well prepared both with fire-arms and men. The next traces we find of him are in desperate consultations with his accomplices respecting the castigation of one Bailie Carmichael, who was burgh, and made Sheriff-depute of brought over by Sharp from EdinFife under Rothes, for the purpose of enforcing the grievous penalties enacted against the Presbyterians. The barbarous murder of the Archbishop, which occurred soon afterwards, has been so fully and frequently described and expatiated upon, that it is unnecessary to rehearse again the particulars of that transaction. Kirkton's History of the Church of Scotland, edited by C. Kirkpatrick Sharpe, Esq. pp. 380 and 381. + See Russell's account of Sharp's murder, p. 454. + See Russell Burley is well known to have been one of the chief agents in the assassination. After the murder, Burley and his friends rambled about for a few days, avoiding observation, and then joined the insurgents at Drumclog.* There he behaved with great bravery, and is made the hero of a ballad descriptive of that skirmish, to be found in the Border Minstrelsy. On disarming one of the Duke of Hamilton's servants, who had been in the action, he desired the man, as it is said, to tell his master he would retain, till meeting, the pistols which he had taken from him. "Afterwards, when the Duke asked his man what he was like? he told him he was a little man, squint-eyed, and of a very fierce aspect; the Duke said, be knew who it was, and withal prayed that he might never see his face, for if he should, he was sure he would not live long." At the affair of Bothwell Bridge, Burley displayed his wonted courage; and received a wound, which occasioned him to exclaim, "The devil cut off his hands that gave it." His conduct prior and subsequent to that fatal conflict, is partly narrated in a letter subjoined, addressed to James Ure of Shirgartoun, whose sufferings in the cause of presbytery are recorded by Wodrow. S Burley's letter, now first published from the original MS. bears no direction, but a passage respecting the affair of "Humiliation," so much debated by the insurgents, compared with one in Russell, || ascertains to whom it was written. The reader will find in Russell many circumstances respecting Burley's motions after the rout at Bothwell Bridge, which concluded in a flight to Holland, where he was not very cordially entreated by his fellow refugees, being debarred from the sacrament of the Lord's Supper. He appears to have resided chiefly with his uncle, John Hay, who became an eminent bookseller in Holland. When the Prince of Orange undertook his descent, Burley received a commission as a cavalry officer, but died on the passage. His property had been confiscated, and given to Lord Lindores. After the Revolution, the act of attainder was reversed. David Russel. + Scots Worthies, p. 552. VOL. I. Balfour, the son, was then served heir to his father, and commenced a prosecution against Lord Lindores for his intromissions with the estate. In 1694 David married the daughter of Russell, Esq. of Kettle, by which marriage he obtained the estates of Bankton and Kettle. He was succeeded by his eldest son, William, who died without issue about 1736, and left the estates to his brother Henry. Barbara Balfour,† the daughter of Henry, was married to the father of the present Colonel J. Balfour Wemyss of Wemyss Hall, in the county of Fife. + His character, as given by his biographer in the Scots Worthies, is, "That although he was by some reckoned none of the most religious, yet he was always zealous and honest-hearted, courageous in every enterprise, and a brave soldier, seldom any escaping that came into his hands." The following description of his person is given in the trial of Hackstoun of Rathillet, whose sister Barbara he * Notwithstanding the appellation of portioner, the estate of this distinguished person appears to have corresponded with the rank and antiquity of his family. From an original tack between Lord Lindores and Patrick and Alexander Thomsons, dated 19th October 1685, it appears that the rent of four-eighteen parts of Kinloch was 4 chalders and 13 bolls of bear and oats, 4 dozen of hens, and L.100 Scots in money. What proportion this bore to Burley's estate we have not the means of ascertaining, but lands possessed by other tenants are mentioned in the same lease. The cess paid for the whole of John BalMay 1657, according to receipts signed by four's part of Kinloch, from May 1656 to the collector, David Walker, amounted to L. 56, Is. 4d. Scots. + This lady is still alive, and in perfect health. Colonel Wemyss's father succeeded, in right of his wife, to the estates of Kinloch, Bankton, and King's Kettle. The former he sold to the family of the present possessor, Andrew Thomson, Esq. ‡ To this highly respectable gentleman, now the lineal representative of Balfour of Burley, we are happy to own ourselves indebted for the papers here laid before the public, as well as for the principal facts above stated, which he has communicated with a liberality that demands our warmest acknowledgments. Colonel Wemyss, in his communication to us, says with a genuine Scottish spirit, "I am too proud of my great progenitor to refuse my name to his life, or my hand to his defence." ន had married, and who commanded the party which assassinated the Archbishop, but retired to a little distance, and declined to take any share in it. "John Balfour of Kinloch, who is a laigh broad man, round, ruddie faced, dark-brown hair, and hade ane brown stoned horse, armed with hulster pistols, and a shabble." * LETTER FROM BALFOUR OF BURLEY TO JAMES URE OF SHIRGARTOUN.† SIR, March 30, 168 - THER cam to my hands a short (and, as its termed, a trew) relation of y' sad and deplorabel busines,yt fell out the other year; which relation I judg, on good grounds, to be yours, tho y', in wisdom, ye conciled your neam; and I most say, (pardon me in this, sir,) y', if ye had forboren soom expressions of your own actings, which canot but mak you knowen to al yt wer in y armay, ye had don mor wisly than by screwing them up to such as ye hav don, which renders them suspitius of falshood to all who reids your information. But pardon me, sir, to leav this, and com a litel to the other particulars. Ye tel us y1 ye cam on the Saboth, with soom wel armed * A crooked sword or hanger.-Howell's State Trials, X. 839. + "The sufferings of the family of James Ure of Shargartoun were likewise very considerable during this period. His house was frequently pillaged by parties of soldiers. When he was forfeited after Bothwell, where he behaved with courage, his rents and moveables were all seized, and many times parties were in search for him, but he happily escaped. His mother, a gentlewoman about 70 years of age, was put in prison at Glasgow, where she died, notwithstanding all the interest that was made for her. Meanwhile a hundred pound Scots was offered to any who should apprehend Shargartoun, dead or alive; but he escaped to Ireland, where he continued half a year. Then he ventured home; but was obliged to conceal himself in the fields; so that, during the winter 1684, he lay in the wood of Balquhan for several weeks. His lady was apprehended for conversing with her own husband, and carried prisoner to Stirling, with a sucking child at her breast, and from thence to Edinburgh, and put into the Canongate jail. At last the managers thought fit to release her. Shargartoun survived his troubles, and lived to the unnatural Rebellion 1715, when he saw vengeance overtake some of his persecutors."-Crookshanks's History of the Church of Scotland, Vol. II. # , ye men; it is treuth they wer so; and if yt they had not ben so fre in shoting ther wolays nedlesly, I think yt thay had considerabel provision of puder also. Yeat, if I be not deceaved, I gav them several piks at Glasko, or at least they got of thos piks yt I took at Glasko. As to what past yt night betwixt Mr Hamilton and you, I know nothing of it. As to what Mr Duglas had in his sermon, I cannot tel what it was; but I judg yt it hath ben soom reflections on that dreadful supreamasie, which I tak to be his dutay, and al fa'ful ministers duty, to preach against, yea, tho y' it should ofend such loiel persons as you. As to y' councel of war on the moore, yt did condem the man, and to his sentenc, and the grond therof, I remember yt it was proven y' he was sen strik at yt man with a fork, and the person yt he kiled was wounded by a fork, so yt he was condemed by a weray considerable numer of oficers, whereof ye was on yt woted him guiltay, tho yt its lik, after y' he saw soom ministers were for sending him to the civel magistrat, yt he might be punished as a was in their judgment; tho y' to me it semeth both ye and they wer out of your deuty, ye in retracting, and they in desairing us to oun thos usurpers, for usurper they ar, be what they wil, y carays, I should have said pretens to bear ruel in Scotland this day. Yea ther is non of them, from the greatest to the mienest, yt hath anay right to ruel, for al are perjured and mensworn blooday wretchis; so it is cristian should own such as judges, yt to me weray streang y' anay sober both by the law of god, and laws of the nation, ar guyltay of death themselvs. But, fearing to griv your low spirit, I pass y', and come to what is nixt, which was soom debeats anent a decleration, and its form. I remember y' it was desaird that y' y god moking draught yt was produced should be altered in thrie or four things, first, yt the third artical of the covenant (yt was insert in it to the ful, tho both against law and reason, we being no mor bond to him yt hath by act of parliament rechinded the weray ground whereon he receaved the crown) should be taken away altoge ther out of it, or at least yt the forth might be insert to balenc it, which * Vide Russell's Narrative of Archbishop Sharp's Murder, p. 457. was against reason denaid, tho yt if the third had been taken away, and the forth insert, it had been mor beseming to such a pertay. The second was yt ther might be a posativ claus insert in it, declaring against the indulgenc, which was also refused, becaus yt ther was a general included in it against supremacy, which was a mer desain to blind the peopel and a moking of God. The third was, y the causes of wreath, aknoledgment of sin, and ingadgment to deutays might be insert also, which with difficultay was obtained to be insert in the clos of it. What was furder don in it I know not, but I was informed y thos y wer for it did desair yt it might be read only, and after reading, it should be mended to satisfaction or it were printed; on which terms it semeth y' it was condeshended on to be read, on condition yt Mr King and Mr Douglas should red it, which was granted, tho basely broken, as was the former, and it was read and commented on by Mr Hum to the dissatisfaction of manay; and after, contrair to ingadgment (as ye hav said), printed without our knowledg. But I shall not stay on al breaches y fel out, but to y councel of war y was at the Shaw-head Moore on the Wednesday ---- I most not forget by the by, y' on the Sabath, on of our ministers wased of the pleac when going to preach by Mr Hum, who yt day had no ----- from the armay to preach himself, tho he intruded himself, but now---- the councel, it was ther voted by all, sav your self and Mr Carmihael, (I mean James,*) yt ther should be a day of humiliation condeshended, and ther wer four ministers and four elders chosen out to draw up the cases of the fast; and I am sure y' this was don without a contradicting wot, sav two only. Learmon desaird it might be delayd Mr Welsh cam, who indeed cam and brok up al weray shortly; so y' we pearted from the councel soom of us with tears in our eis; and I wish y we had pearted from you that day, it had been beter for us this day then it is, and mor for the gloray of God I am sur. But I heast to the other council of war yt was on Saturday, wher the Galuway gentlemen wer; I re -- --- Son to the Earl of Wigton's chamberlain Proclamation against Rebels, June 26, 1679. member yt it was liker a babel then a serious counsel, for al the gentlemen, whether officers or not, behoved to be ther, and wot forsuth, and the first thing was don was y' the Galaway men desaired a preses to be chosen; to which it was ansered, yt Mr Hamilton had always preceded, with ful consent of the officers of the armay; then it was demanded who wer officers? to which it was ansered, yt we y' wer with them wer, and yt we wer chosen pro tempore, and had officiat til now, but wer wiling to give pleac to any y deserved it beter, so yt they wold steat the lords quaral aright; and I remember yt I said (the Lord knows I spok treuth) yt I was satisfied to hav served as a laqay man under anay y they should apoint over me, so that he or they wold steat the Lords quaralaright; butal the anser we got to yt was a few brawling words and soom of selfcomendation from soom men that might hav held ther peac. The nixt thing was the galoway gentlemen desaired that ther ministers might be brought in, to which we ansered yt our wer not al ther at y' teim, y' they might be cald with thers, and y' it was not expedient y' ministers sat in a council of war, but when necessarly cald therto, neither had they been with us formerlay but when cald; but tho y' it was also said by us, y1 if ministers wer cald, it was fit y' elders was cald also, yaet Mr Hume, and others with him, rushed in uncald, and asked wher wer ther elders, they knew few or non; tho yt it was ansered yt ther wer manay godly elders both of officers and souldiers in the armay, yeat they wer not permitted to be cald, least I think they should hav mised ther desing of owerpowering us by wots if they had ben cald. The first thing treated on after the ministers cam in, was a petitioning the duke, and a debeating for ye old busines. When y' we saw yt ther was nothing like to be settled on y1 was becoming such an armay, we ros and went out, to the number of eghtein or neinten officers; tho ye be pleased to term yt numer weray few, yeat ther wer mor y went out then I have said; and my brother told y' he durst not wenter his blod in batel with such as thos wer yt stayd behind, seing yt they did so steat the quarel as y the Lord was robed by the steating of it. What ye did after we went out I know not, but we wer cald in again, and 136 Account of the recent Improvement made in Block-printing. being com back, we told yt we wer in y' same judgment we were in when we went away. Then your new preces, for it semeth ye had chosen on, prest a petitioning of the duk, and we having refused and desaird (soom at least desaired) to know to what purpos, for it was not in his pour to grant us anay thing, (as hath appeared to be treuth sinc) yeat Mr Hum said y' he knew yt he had pour to do, and that he waited for our petition; and treuly I dout not but Mr Hum's information was good as to the last, for he, no question, tampered with his bretheren who tampered with the Duck, the indulged bretheren I men. In end (for I heast), it was agraied on yt yt petition should be read, which was such an on as might hav scared any cristian from offering to present it, for it was al stufed with Malignant Loieltay; and we having refused it altogether, at lenth ther was a motion mead of sending on information of our grivences; for drawing of which ther was four gentelmen, tuo on each seid, and four ministers chosen for drawing up of it, which after y' they had agreid on a drawght, it was ordered to be drawen up, (how honestly it was don I know not, but it semeth yt it was don so with as others things wer don with formerly.) So we peartid, and was sent to Dunserf with my troup to guard yt pas, wher I stayed al night, til I was cald for the next morning and sent to the foord y' is on the east seid of Hamilton, with Bankhead, who told me y' Mr Hume was gon to the Duk, which indeed wexed me much; so y', Sir, I canot giv anay account of your behaviour at the bridg in the morning. I hav sen under your oun hand, which semeth inded to be favorabel enouch to yow, and as unfavorabel of others, as I hear by soom y' was ther; but I pas it and come again to my oun peart, (which truely, Sir, I had forborn to speak if ye had not necessitat me to do so,) for I was cald to the mur, and when I cam I had orders to pleac my troop four pear of buts behind the second bragad on the left hand, wher they stayed; and I cam doun twis thriec to the boday, but found few of oficers espesialy of thos of Galoway, with ther troups; but, as on of them told sinc, they wer busied about the sending a second petition, so y' they had not leasur to be with ther troups. So, sir, I find you in a [Sept. mistak when ye say yt I was on the front with my troop; I was indead threic doun befor the enime, wiewing them, and ready to excheng a pistol with anay of them, if they had anay com out to me; and I spok with Greinrig, who told me he was to while with his troup, and tho I did what was in me to disuad him, yeat while he did with that forward gentelman ye spok of Mr Carmihel, who at y' teim was mor forthward to flei, than stout to fight, so yt thos two wer they y' brok the foot yt wer behind them, and consequently the whol armay. For my peart, sir, I shall not say any thing as to my ceariag, but this I am sure of, y' I stayd in the fild til ye and a thousand mor wer making mor us of your spurs then your swords; and in token of it sir, I brought the marks of my staying, with which you wer not at leasur at yt teim to wait on, unles yt ye had acedentalay met with the first canon bal, which I am glead ye prevented by your teimus retreat. As for y' forward gentel man, I am sur if the canon had either hit him or his comerad captain Weir, it behowed to hav overtaken them, for they wer both fled or the canon shot; but the other captain y' ye say was with yow in the morning, was not so wise as ye, for he ether had not a hors, or forgot to tak him, which ye did weray teimusly. Thus, sir, I hav showen you a few treuths, and I shal clos with y1 sam ye clos with, to wit, I shal frelay giv you liv to cal me a lier if ther be ought in this account but trueth; and I am hopful y' tho soom may tak the freedom to do it behind my bak, yeat they wil not neither say it to my feac, nor giv it under unles they resolv to run the risk of being proven a lier, which, sir, wil easelay be don, but I pas it, and leavs manay thousands of frinds, and soom enemeis, to bear witnis of the trueth of my cairag yt day, and of your servant, whom ye know ACCOUNT OF THE RECENT IMPROVE MENT MADE IN BLOCK-PRINTING. MR EDITOR, THE improvement lately made by Mr Savage of London, in this branch of art, is so remarkable, and gives it a character so completely novel, that a short view of it will, I hope, be interesting to your readers. I shall premise a brief account of its invention and progress to the present time. |