A history of the Highlands and of the Highland clans

EXFXUTION OF SIR WM. ROLLOCK AND OTHERS. 425
persons who liad influence with his fother to acquaint him with them.
Donald, Lord Rae, at whose house Huntly had lived during his exile in
Strathnaver, and Alexander Irvine, younger of Drum, Huntly 's son-
in-law, both of whom had been indebted to INIontrose for their liberty,
were accordingly sent by him to the marquis of Huntly, as the
most likely persons he could select to induce Huntly to allow Aboyne
to remain with the army. But all their arguments and entreaties Mere
to no purpose. Lord Rae was so heartily ashamed at the failure of his
mission, that he declined to return to Montrose ; and Irvine who
brought some evasive letters from Huntly, frankly declared to Montrose,
that he could obtain no satisfactory explanation from his father-in-law
of his real intentions, farther, than that he remained fixed in his resolu-
tion that Aboyne should return home immediately. After declaring
that he parted from Montrose with reluctance, and promising to join him
within a fortnight with a force even larger than that which he had
lately brought, Aboyne left the army and returned to his father.
Montrose then continued his march through Braemar and Glenshee
into Athole, where he obtained an accession of force. He next proceed-
ed to Strathearn, where he was met by two messengers, who arrived by-
different routes, with orders from the king, desiring Montrose to join
Lord George Digby, near the English border, as soon as possible.
These messengers were Captain Thomas Ogilvy, younger of Pourie,
and Captain Robert Nisbet. On receiving these commands, Montrose
immediately sent these messengers north to the marquis of Huntly, to
acquaint him with the king's wishes, in the expectation that the use of
his majesty's name would at once induce him to send Aboyne south
with reinforcements.
While Montrose lay in Strathearn waiting for reinforcements, intelli-
gence was brought to him that the covenanters were about to imbrue
their hands in the blood of his friends who had been taken prisoners
after the battle of Philipliaugh. The committee of estates, which had
accompanied the covenanting army to Glasgow, had now determined
upon this bold and illegal step, for which hitherto, with the recent ex-
ceptions of O'Kean and Laughlane, no example had been set by either
of the belligerent parties in Scotland since the commencement of the
war. They had wisely abstained from staining the scaffolds with blood,
but from different motives. Montrose, acting agreeably to the under-
stood wishes of the king, which were congenial with his own disposition,
not to hurry matters to extremities with his Scottish subjects, refrained
from inflicting capital punishment, and, as we have seen, often released
his prisoners on parole. The heads of the covenanters had been de-
terred by fear alone from carrying their bloody purposes into execution ;
but considering that they had now nothing to fear, they soon appeared
in their true colours. That the measures of Charles were unconstitu-
tional and oppressive, cannot be denied, and that he endeavoured to