Page:A biographical dictionary of eminent Scotsmen, vol 3.djvu/231

Rh till at last, unable to keep his army together in such a state of inaction, he resolved on attacking Stirling, for which purpose he broke up from Perth on the 10th, was met at Dumblane on the same fatal 13th of November by Argyle, and, through the utter imbecility of his character, though his army was four-fold that of his adversary, and in part successful, was driven back to his former head-quarters, under circumstances as fatal as though he had met a total defeat. Argyle, however, was in no case to follow him, and he began to fortify the city, and to supply the wants of his numerous followers in the best manner he could. The fatal affair at Preston, which was soon known among them, and the loss of Inverness, which nearly at the same time was retaken for the government by the earl of Sutherland, threw a damp over his men, which all his address could not overcome. By the help of Mr Freebairn, his majesty's printer, who had now taken up his residence in Perth, he issued hews of the most cheering description; he collected meal throughout all the adjacent country with the utmost industry; and as the frost was excessive, he levied upon the country people, for the use of his men, large contributions of blankets, and he compelled the gentlemen and farmers around him to supply them with coal, which, as the river was frozen, was done at an immense expense ; yet, in spite of all he could do, and in spite of partial reinforcements, his army was daily diminishing, and it was resolved among the chiefs to furl for a time the standard of rebellion, and abandoning Perth, to reserve themselves, in the best manner they could, for a more favourable opportunity, when on the 22d of December, 1715, their spirits were for a few days revived, by the arrival of James himself. Instead, however, of those abundant supplies which he had promised to bring along with him, he escaped from France with difficulty in disguise, and was landed at Peterhead with only six attendants. Here he and his companions slept the first night, disguised as sea officers. The second night he lay at Newburgh, a seat of the earl Marischal's. Next day he passed through Aberdeen, still incognito, with two baggage horses, and the third night met at Fetteresso Avith Marr, the earl Marischal, and about thirty gentlemen from Perth. Here James assumed the forms of royalty, gave the gentlemen his hand to kiss, received loyal addresses from the clergy and citizens of Aberdeen, formed a court, appointing all the officers of state and household, created peers, made knights, appointed bishops, &c. A slight indisposition confined him to Fetteresso for some days, but having recovered, he advanced, January the 2nd, 1716, to Brechin, where he remained till the 4th; and proceeding by Kinnaird and Glammis, he made his public entry into Dundee on Friday the 6th, accompanied by about three hundred horsemen. On Saturday he dined at Castle Lyon, and slept in the house of Sir David Threipland; and on Sabbath the 8th, took possession of the royal palace of Scoon. Here he formed a council, and began to exercise the functions of government. He had been already proclaimed at Fetteresso, and had issued another declaration, dated at Cromercy in Lorrain; now all at once he issued six proclamations,—one ordering a thanksgiving for his safe arrival—a second, ordering public prayers to be put up for him in all the churches—a third, giving currency to foreign coins—a fourth, summoning a convention of estates—a fifth, ordering all fencible men to repair to his standard and—a sixth, fixing his coronation for the 23d of the current month. At the same time he obstinately refused to attend any protestant place of worship, and he would allow no protestant to say grace at his table, His own confessor, father Innes, constantly repeated the Pater Noster and Ave Maria for him, and he had an invincible repugnancy to the usual form of the coronation oath, obliging the sovereign to maintain the established religion. This avowed bigotry occasioned wide divisions among his few councillors, and greatly cooled