The manuscripts of His Grace the Duke of ... - Electric Scotland

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be too feu to send to the plantations from this countrie, who are
generally so ill affected, I mean the commons, that I stand in
admiration at stories I am told : for as yet non of the ministers
are come in, nor other of our informations. The Jurnalls uill
inform your lordship off the particulars, and I shal only add that
ue hav not time to be idle in, and I am hopefull, if ue continou
to doe our parts as we ought, this business uill be brought to a
very narrow compass .
Postscript :—I hope all my letters are come to your lordship's
hands, especially that of yesternight. I hav had non from your
lordship, but one from Proveist Jonstoun.
Glasco, 7 Oc"- : 1684.
237. Since my last to your lordship, ue hav bein busied
setting our uorke in order, first concidering the prisoners
and classing them, concidering our probations and ordering
the nessessary citations, or persons to be apprehended,
and ordering lybells to be reased against some of the most
conciderable withdrauers. Yesternight ane order uas sent out
for apprehending the wittness against Douchall. Thes against
Poog Maxuell are to be ordered this night, and we shal fall upon
all the conciderable heritors as fast as it is possible for us.
One thing. ue hav done uill neid your advice, which is the keping
the offer as to regularity in generall terms ; for the Sess uas secure,
and the heritors bound for ther oun, ther familys, tenents,
cotters, and seruants irregularitys, according to the acts of
parliament, and under the pains the persons they conneived at
ought to under ly. We judged that it uas best for us to leav the
forme of the Bond, or the interpretation of this to the Councell.
The nixt thing is to try the irregular persons : and for the informing
us who they are, ue have brought in the presbiteries. This
day came that of Glasco, and brought in the rolls of all the
paroashes, ther heritors comunicants, and irregular persons, being
distinctly sett doun. Ther elders lykuays came: and ue got from
the ministers accompts who can best giv us informations in
ther paroashes, whom ue hav ordered to be cited. The examination
of the elders ue hav comitted to six or seven comissioners ;
to uitt. Provost Johnstone, Stirling, the Balzie Deput, whom
ue find to hav bein ane activ man hear by the generall applous
the ministers giv of him, Duke Hamilton, his Deput in the shire
and regality, and Halyards, and James Lundin. If ue had not
done this, it had bein impossible befor the first of November to
hav taken up the informations ; for this is not lyke other shires,
and therfor ue are resolved to put the Test to all the heritors,
great and smal, who are a great multitude. But first ue begin at
Dumbarton, with thos that are contined in the suteroll, and so
goe on to the other shires ; and for the minor heritors, ue take
them in paroashes, as ue proceed to the church disorders uithin
the same, calling so many evry day, after the precognitione is
ended.
This is the mater I find Duke Hamilton shiest in, Jor
he thinks ther is no lau for puting the Test to the heritors, and