Volume 1 - Electric Scotland

LETTER BY JOHXSTuN OF WAKKISTON, 1G39. clxxxv
Home and Lord dolinstoiie, two personages, lie adds, no question of very
great consideration, if by the power, or ratlicr M'iUs, of their undertakers they
may be wrested to the king's service.^ The efforts of the two earls were not
immediately successful, but Ihoy seem to have bonio fruit later. They aimed
at getting Lord Johnstone into personal contact with tlie king by coming to
court. But his lordship v.'as dissuaded from this by Mr. Archibald John-
ston of "Warristou, who wrote to him on 2d January 1639 as, follows :
"Eather do nobly, as my lord of Montroso has done, v.dio having received a
letter from the king himself to go up Vv'ith diligence to his court, convened some
of the nobility, showed unto them both his particular ailairs and the king's command,
and that according to his covenant of following the common resolution, and
eschewing all appearance of divisive motion, nobly has resolved to follow their
counsel, and has gone home to his own house, and v.'iU not go to court at all." -
In August 1G39, Lord Johnstone probably attended the Assembly as a
member, as well as in pursuit of his action against George Buchanan. lie
certainlj- attended the parliament which was hold at Ediuliurgh at the same
time, and at the riding of it a disjaite seems to have arisen between him and
I-ord Kirkcudbright, who was obliged to ride behind Lord Johnstone, but
who protested in parliament for his right to take precedence of him.^
In the following year, 16tO, when the Covenanters found it necessary to
reassemble their arn.iy, Lord Johnstone was one of the estates who signed the
commission to Sir Alexander Leslie of Balgony to be lord-general of all the
Scottish forces.^ He was present at the meeting of the parliament held in
June, and was appointed on a committee to consider the commissariot of the
army.^ He apparently then went home to prepare for the campaign, and
from English sources we find that he was expected to bring a contingent of
' State Papers, Domestic, 1G30, p. 2()S. * The Melvilles, Earls of Melville, and tlie
- Montrose ami the Covenanters, by Mark Leslies, Earls of Leven, vol. iii. pp. 10-t-lGC.
Napier, vol. i. pp. 300, 301.
3 Acts of the Parliaments of Scotland, ^ Acts of the Parliaments of Scotland,
vol. V. pp. 251, 2o4. vol. v. pp. 258, 2G4.
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