The originals of the following letters are preserved in one of the volumes which belonged to Wodrow the Historian, and were purchased from his representatives by the General Assembly, in 1742. They were not accessible when the preceding Preface was in the Printer's hands, but may now serve as an Appendix, along with a Supplication from the Laird of Brodie, and some Acts in his favour extracted from the unpublished Rescinded Acts of Parliament; as they relate to the depredations and losses he sustained, and for which he probably never received compensation.

I

REMITT ANENT THE LAIRD OF BRODIE, 6 August, 1645.

Anent the Supplicatione givine in to the Estates of Parliament now presentlie conveened in the fourt Sessione of this first trienniall Parliament, be vertue of the last act of the last Parliament haldine be his Majestie and their Estates in anno 1641 : Quhairof the tennor fallowes:-MY LORDES and others of the Estates of Parliament, I, your Lordships servitor ALAXANDER BRODIE of that Ilke, humblie meanes, That quher I am nather sorie nor ashamed to be broght before yow in ane caise so singular, it is not my fault that I suffer; for except it should be callit a fault to serve God and yow, I know, besyde the Testimonie may have within my selfe, I may and am confident of the Testimony of this honorable House, that as they sitt heir with justice and reasone thane what I have or may suffer in this caus in my persone and estate is for ane cause not les honorable and just thene is the name and authoritie of this highe court. Not I, bot the priviledge of it, is more imediatlie strickine and hunted at. I intend not to make this ane Apologie or introductione to my loises. That they should at this tyme be thought upoun, it wer folie and shame to mentione it, quhill all the handes and estates you have is but enuch to defend the head. The good success of your present intentiones is of more value and will be dearer to any honest heart than a thousand of thair lyves. I make no mentione of burneing of houss, landes, corne yairds, spoyleing of goods and cattell; I onlie crave what is in your hand to give, and the giveing quhairof may weell augment but not diminish your Treasour or authoritie. Your enemyes are skillfull to destroy. Amonges the rest in this commone calamity the writes and evidentes quherby I have title to enjoy the small estate wherto I succeid are not in pairt but whollie destroyed. I am, throughe this loise and distructione of writes, evidentes, contractes, discharges, and otheres such lyke, exposed to ane hundreth yea many yeires troubles and pley. I have nothing to ansuer if any thing be cleamed, thought

tors;

never so unjustlie. I have no title to cleame nor aske from otheres, thought with never so great reasone or justice. My inconveniences are more is [than] I can reckone or ansuer, and they offer themselves to any judicious eye. I humblie accept this at the handes of God, and not choise. I would be sorie to have distrustfull discontented thought; I resolved before this with the loise of lyfe, and all; thought this and all loises hade bene presented to me and the cause to be entered wpon of new, I would thinke it ane great faintness or wickednes to be cold or ly by. Tho I should thairby preserve all, I lay doune all I have at your feet; I cannot escape false and unjust persutes if you bar them not; and if yow make not my escape I cannot bot perishe. My humble desyre is, That as the constancie and confidence of your servant is come to view, so it may please your Lordships to pas some act of favor for my securitie, not only in my land and heritadge, mylne and mulbut to shoot the door aganes all actiones and persutes which upoun this occasione may be intendit, or heirtofor has bene depending againes me, quherin I am heavilie prejudged in the probatione of my laufull defenss, by the burneing of my writtes and evidentes. And if your Lordships pressing effaires for the publict doe not spair so much tyme for takeing my desyre to consideratione, I humbly desyre that your Lordships would be pleased to remitt the desyre of your Servant ather to ane particulare committee, or to the Committee of Estates, to be appoynted to sitt efter the dissolveing of this present Sessione of Parliament, to do therein as they shall think fitting, for secureing me in maner foirsaid, and according as I shall particularly remonstrat to the said Committee my particular sufferinges and prejudices, throw the burneing of my saides writtes and evidentes, at said is, as the Supplicatione proportes : Quhilke Supplicatione being red and considered be the saidis Estates of Parliament, the saidis Estates hes remitted, and heirby Remittes and recommendes the samene, and desyre therof above specifeit.

To the Committie of Estates, to be taken in consideratione be them, with power to them to determine, and to doe thairin as they shall thinke expedient.

ALEXANDER BRODIE OF BRODIE TO MR. ROBERT DOUGLAS.

Reverend and much respected,

Iff your avocations had not drawen you away, and great distance had not impeded, I would have visited yow more frequently then I have done. Althogh thes parts be overspread with a dark cloud, yet it would lighten our burden to heare that the Lord's caus were prospering elsewher.

On[e] off the greatest mountains that I have seine is tumbling southward, and seims to stopp our desyr'd Peace, even (when in our thoghts) it was at the up-taking. I know not what your opinion will be off it, but to the end yow may be resolu'd I have sent yow a Remonstranc emitted by the E. of Seaforth. Pretending good to the kingdome, he has drawen in some honest men, who, out of ther simplicitic and ther desyre of Peace, have gone alongst in subscriving this oath. Ministers some at the contriving consented to it,

and resolu'd some scrupling minds that it was lawfull; other ministers are threatned: all is on fyre on eury side. I will not ripp up the immodest articls insinuating injustice on the Parliament, nor will I examin the oath, and compare it with the articls off our latest leaug and covenant, which as it leaves out soe it contraries. Laying all this asyd to your more judicious examination, I only desyr and beseich yow most humbly to advert and look to the consequences off it. I desyre not only to know in private what your opinion is anent it; but efter you have consulted with the Lords of Committee, examin'd the grounds cf state policie, and learn'd what they know heiranent, then let this part of the kingdome know what is the mind off the Commission of the Generall Assembly.

I beleive your letters from the Commission to the Earl off Seaforth would be of great authoritie. I know your letters to the Presbyteries would keipe off ministers from subscriving; your admonitions would confirm the weak, and reclaime them who, out off a meire honest simplicitie, hav suffer'd themselves to be ledd away vpon the fair colourabl hopes of Peac, which was promis'd to insue. I need not request yow to use meiknes: your wisdome is great to restore bones that are out of joynt.

Iff yow think it not worth the looking to, or if the wys committe shall bidd yow forbeare, if they and yow think that it may produce some good effect, I will not, for my life, censure the means, but suspend and correct my rashnes on your information.

But it is growing; iff it spread farr, the danger is the greater; use your counsels, and applie your remedies tymly, if yow would have the bodie or the members safe.

Iff yow direct som generall letters to any particular men of place, such as E. Sutherland, L. Lovat, &c., we shall tak a care to spread and convoy them safely. Sir, yow need not mak more vse of my name then yow think meit; not that I think shame or feare, for (except my lyf) man can doe noe more to me. Truly I mak litl count of all men, if I may get the way of Christ follow'd and adher'd to.

I must lykwys let yow know a passage off the Gordouns expedition; they and Huntly hav bein now 13 weeks in Murray, and hav left neither to eat, nor sow, nor plogh in many places, wher they reaceau'd not obedienc. Ther wholl tym and pains was taken vp with beseidging the hous of Leathin, belonging to ane uncl of myne, quher (except my self and very few more, for the Garison of Invernes call'd me heire to attend them, althogh truly I am litl profitabl in any place of the world), ther I say all my freinds were taking shelter. When all the amunition was spent, and noe hop of relief (althogh often was the armie advertiz'd and requir'd), at last having kill'd many of the enemie in severall assaults, they wer forc'd to come vnder parlie and surrender. Upon a band off money to be pay'd to the Lord Huntly, in cace he conform'd not to his Majestie's service, the Lard was restor❜d to his hous and all that is in it, and has sinc that tyme furnish'd and fortified himself for a longer seidg, if God be with him. Now in this parlic, Mr. Joseph Brodie my uncl, throgh the vehement importunitie, and the pressing necessiti off the poor beseidg'd people, was employ'd to mak such conditions with the enemie as might consist with a good conscienc and the covenant, they hoping that he also might attain them better conditions then any other. Now, as himself has wrytten to yow, we desyr to know what your judgment is anent the capitulation, and Mr. Joseph's communing with the enemie. In truth,

I doe confess, althogh the Lord humbl'd them in bringing them to that extremitie (which nothing else could perswad them to), yet they being free of engadgment, or the least concuranc with the enemie in ther purposes, I cannot censure the Act in such a cace as this. Your opinion will much satisfie both him and them: I know, however, you will put a favourabl construction on it, for I will be bold to saye ther was never man more avers from them, or ther wayes, or had less favour of them than he and we all have.

I have wearied yow with so larg a letter; I will end with the occasion off my wryting to yow, that you delay no tyme untill yow return your answear and such counsell as is meit for soe perilous a tyme. My lord Crawfourd will inform you more. Iff you desyre me to wryt to yow off other things as they occurr, I shall obey yow heirafter. In the meantym tak information from this bearer of particulars, and urge a relief to this place from the Committe, for it is in noe less then in daunger to be lost, iff it be not releiu'd or strenthend. It is the most considerable pass in the kingdom, as affairs stand. Iff yow will tak pains to inform me of the success off our synod, and the Treatie, and our Armies in England, I shall sympathiz with yow in holding up ther condition to God, who (I know) will bring about his glory and ther deliverance and Peace throgh all thes croc events, which in his Providenc he suffers us to meit withall. That God may accomplish this, and may in the mean tym vphold us all, and counsell yow, and bless your counsels, shall be the humble and vnfein'd prayer of,

your

verie asur'd and ever oblidg'd
Brother and servant,

Invernes, 10 March, 1646.

AL. BRODIE. a

Ffor the Right Reverend and my much respected Mr. ROBERT DOUGLAS, minister of God's word at Edinburgh, and Moderatour of the General Assembly of Scotland.

The Remonstrance or Band, alluded to in the preceding letter was framed by George, Earl of Seaforth, and consisted of seven articles, the first of which contained an invitation to the King to come to Scotland. It was presented to the Committee of Estates in March, 1646. The Commission of the General Assembly emitted a declaration against it on the 30th of the same month. "Meanwhile Seaforth had an army of 5000 for to effectuate

The following is a fac-simile of Brodie's signature; which corresponds exactly with the letters in the Marquess of

Lothian's possession, printed in the above pages