The laft Teftimony of JAMES SKEEN, Brother to the Laird of Skeen, who fiered at Edinburgh, December ift, 1680.

His Interrogations and Answers before the Privy Council, related by himself, in a Letter to his Brother..

Dear Billy,

O fatisfy your defire, I fend you this line, to let you

came the

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and Rothes being there, two Bithops, viz Burnet and Paterfen, the Advocate, Clerk Paterfon, Lalithgow, and many more, fitters and standers Dalziel the general being Porter, walking proudly up and down, not as a fervant) none was ad mitted to come in with me: I faluted them all civilly, and keeped off my hat, because they keeped off; that they might not fay that I was a quaker. Rothes fked me, Was I at Bthwel, or Airfmoss? I anfwered, I was at home in the North both these times. They afked, If I did own Sanquhair declaration, and the Teftimony at Rutherglen? I told them, I did own them both. He asked, Did I own the King's authority? I faid, in fo far as it is against the Covenant and inte eft of Chrift, I difown it He asked me, Thought I it not a fin ul murder the killing of the Arch-prelate? I faid, I thought it was their duty to kill him, when God gave them opportunity; for he had been the author of much blood fhed. They asked me, Why I carried arms? I told them, It was for felf defence, and the defence of the gospel. They afked me, Why I poi foned my ball? I told them, I wifhed none of them to recover whom I hot. He afked me, Why I carried a durk? 1 told them, they might afk Mr. George M'kenzie. if it was not our Country. tafhion; and he prefently told the Chancellor that it was fo. They asked, if I knew Cargil faid, it was my comfort 1 knew him. Then they reproached him, and me for converfing with him. I faid, I blefs God, he gave me fweet peace in it. They asked, Would I kill the Soldiers, being the King's? I faid it was my dury if I could when they perfecuted God's people. They afked, If I would kill any of them? I faid, hey were all ftated enemies of our Lord Jefus Christ, and by the declaration at Sanquhair, I counted them my enemics. They afked, if I would think it my duty to kill the King? I faid, He had stated himself an enemy to God s intereft, and there was war declared against him I faid, the covenant made with God, was the glory of Scotland.; tho' they had unthankfully counted it their fhame. And in direct terms, I

faid to the Chancellor, I have a parchment at home, wherein your Father's name is, and you are bound by that, as well as I. They afked, Why I called the Chancellor Sir? I said, Sir, was a title for a King, and it might ferve him. The Chancellor afked, if I knew his royal Highnefs? I faid, I never faw fuch a perfon. York looks out by, (for he fat in the fhadow of Bithop Burnet) and faid, Why did I with the King fo much ill? I told, I with no ill to any; but as they were in oppofition to God, I wished them brought down. And he fpoke no

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The Chancellor faid, Would I not adhere to the Acts of Parliament of this kingdom? I faid, I wouid not own any of them which were in oppofition to God and his Covenant. Mr. M'kenzie faid, if the king were riding by in Coach, would ye think it no fin to kill him? I faid, by the Sanquhair declaration, there was war declared against him, and fo he needed not that in queftion So Mr M'kenzie came out by to the bar, and faid, I know your relations and mine are fib; be ingenuous in all that is demanded of you, and I will fave you from torture. I faid, Sir, I know you, and ye know me and my relations, I have been as free and ingenuous as I could imagine, because I reckon it my credit, and my glory, to give a full and free confeffion for my bleffed Lord's intereft, that is reproached and born down. They afked me, where I faw Cargil laft? I faid, I met with him laft in the Weft bow, to my comfort. They asked me, Who were owners of the house? I faid, I really could not tell them, I knew them hot. They faid, Would I know the houfe? I faid. Yes. They faid, Would I how it to fome whom they would fend with me? I told them I was free in what concerned my felf, but to hurt any elfe, I could not mar my peace with God, but if they were advertised to go out of the houfe, I fhould thow it them. Then they defired me to go my ways. The General opened the Joor, and rounded in my ear, Ye muft go down with fome foldiers, and fhow them that houfe. I faid, I will not do it to hurt any: these indwellers must be advertised to flee the house firft.

Then I was ordered to the guard, which was of Linlithgow's Soldiers, which took me, and walked (after Archbald Stewart and John Sproul, who were examined) to the Tron, and back to the Council-house of the town. I being alone, and only fix Soldiers with me. I took me to prayer, and was comfor ted; and then fent money for meat and drink: and then wor hipped in publick with the Soldiers. At night, a perfon from, J, kindly wakened me, and brought me bread and ale, and fugar and fome confected carvel. After that I was carried"

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to a committee, where were prefent the Chancellor, Hattoun, Paterfon, Juftice clerk, Wigtown and Linlithgow: And they thewed me two Letters of mine to Mrs. Simpfon Where in [ owned the declaration at Sanquhair, and told I would do much to perfwade many that it was juft, from Mr M'quard's advice that was given to the prifoners. I owned the Letters and told them, I did what I could to diffwade profeffors from paying them cefs, which they ordered for bearing down the gofpel: at which they laughed. The Chancellor faid, Why did I not call him Lord? I told him, were he for Chrift's intereft, I would honour him. Then he faid, he cared not for my homour; but he would have me to know he was Chancellor. E faid, I knew that he faid, I was not a Scots-man but a Scotsbeaft. At which Wigtoun gloomed at him, and he laughed. He then rounded to me, that he would be my friend, would I be ingenuous. I told him, I wished him no ill. They afked: me, What Mr William Alexander was it, that I wrote of ?? I faid Mr. Paterfon the Bishop, and Mr. Rofs at Glasgow knew him, and perfecuted him unjustly. I then related to them how, it was, Paterfon faid, I told that which I knew not to be truth; he pitied me. He faid to the Chancellor, certainly I forgot to write. I was before the Jufticiary-court, where my confeffion was read, and after I read it again, and told them, I thought. it my honour to fubfcribe to it I affented to all that was recorded by the Clerk, I owned it, and counted it my honour fo to do. The Juftice-clerk Hatton's fon being there, faid he, pitied me, I being a Gentleman; he knew my friends. I faid, were I an Earl's fon I would efteem it my honour. I defired them to canvass well what they did, for they would be panneled before God for it. He faid I might prepare for another world, I faid, I hoped the Lord would prepare me.

Now, dear Billy, I have given you an account of the truth, as I confufedly remember; but I entreat you take all the praise you give me, and put it upon my Lord, for I am but a poor fimple finful worm 'Tis from him I had this courage. Wigtoun and the Juftice-clerk, defired me to fhew them that houfe, faying, That I was free enough in all except that; and if I were obftinate, I might belike get the boots; I faid, let them do with me what they pleafed, in what concerned myself I was free; but to do hurt to others I would not, to bring them under their wrath, I would not mar my peace with God fo far. The General faid, He would parole to me, that the indwellers of the houfe fhould be advertifed. I faid, I would not have his parole; The Chancellor boafted me for denying his parole. I faid to the Chancellor, I was a Gentleman that had blood relation to his relations, the earl of Mar's mother and I being

fifter-bairns. He faid, He was forry I was fo related, I faid, The cause I was there owning honoured me; and I would it befel my friends. So this I hope you will not critically reflect on my confused writing, fince I am in hafte; ye know, it may, be, I may be cited before thefe bloody men this forenoon. I will not order for my funerals, till I know my fentence. I may poffibly not be allowed a burial. My Lord comforts me, and I leave all on him to bear me through this ftorm, through the valley and fhadow of death. Dear Billy, bid all ye fee of our ferious friends help me with their prayers, that I may be helped of the Lord to be faithful unto the death: and that he will give me the faith of affurance, that I fhall cojoy my Lord's love through all eternity. The want of this clouds me much. I am fo unworthy a wretch. I am,

Dear Billy, Your unworthy friend, and loving Brother,

JAMES SKEEN.

From my Lord Jefus his houfe, which he has made a fweet ра lace; wherein he thews me his wonderful free love, the clofe prison above the iron houfe, in the high Tolbooth of Edinburgh, November, 1680.

P. S. I told the Chancellor, The caufe was juft, whereby the King and others were excommunicate; tho'i was not there, yet i adhered to it.

Another Letter from Mr. James Skeen, to all Profeffors in the Shire of Aberdeen, efpecia ly Mr. William Alexander, Mr. William Mitchel, and Mr. John Watfon, my dear Acquaintances. Being the last Teftimony for the intereft of Chrift, from James Skeen now in close Prifon for Chrift's intereft, in the Tolbooth of Edinburgh.

Dear Friends

Talore as to bring me to the Love of himfelf, He Lord having dealt fo graciously with me, in wonderhis truth, and defpifed intereft, as that he engaged me in a particular covenant with himfelf, which by his honouring me to make me a prifoner to evil men, for his defpifed intereft, he has evidently confirmed to me, that he accepted of my bargain with himself, when moft unworthy and wretched; tho' many times by reafon of a prevailing body of fin and death, I provoked him to caft the bargain; yet ftill by new obligations, he engaged me to renew it. My mercy has been great, that pro*vidence ordered fometime my coming Youth, where moft fuffer

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jug has been for our Lord; and for that reafon most light has been given to profeffors here, that they might fee what was clear duty in thefe trying, tempting and backfliding times. And when ever the Lord helped me to fee our covenant obligations, which are the glory of Scotland, I was ferious and zealous, ye know, to impart to all of you, whom I was acquaint with: The Lord always making my love to him to abound, I thought no travel ill wared, or any hazard too great on any bccafion, whereby I might propagate his defpifed intereft a mong yon. You know how much I have contended with you for paying of that curfed cess, ordered by the convention of eftates, for bearing down the gofpel As I was honoured to witnefs against it at a committee on Saturday laft, at night, you are not aware how you bring the blood of faints on your heads by this obedience to the flated enemies of our Lord Jesus Chrift, your oppofing of that which was, and is the judginent of the most tender profeffors, in withdrawing from indulged Minifters; and from thefe Minifters that favoured them, and fo did not, nor would not declare against the indulgence as a fin, that most hainoufly and rebelliously dishonours our bleffed Lord as head of the Church, and fets up a tyrannous ufurper in his place, was a particular, I much contended with many of you, in my hearing you pleading for a finful union, with thefe who have confpired to dethrone our bleffed Lord; fome of oppofed that which was an honourable teftimony for our Lord at Rutherglen, and that declaration at Sanquhair; and the teftimony or covenant that was taken at the Queensferry, calling thefe rafh and inconfiderate whom the Lord called out to be valiant contenders for his truth and interest, which is now contemned by a wicked apoftate generation, and to feal all of them with blood? By all these the Lord has been calling his prople to come from among Babel's brood; it's curfed brood, who by many fubtile fatanical ways; What by Prelacy Quakerifm, Arminianifm, Latitudinarians, and indulged Minifters, and Minifters and Profeffors, that love fo their quiet, that they will not declare against, and decline that ufurping traitor on the throne. Charles Stewart, and all the curfed crew of pretended Magiftrates in Scotland, having forefeited their right of government, as appears by their wicked and unparalleled apoftacy from that Solemn League and Covenant upon that foul pretext; that we are not in a probable capacity to extirpate them, or put them out of office.

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When in our place and station, we give our witness for his trodden' down and defpifed intereft, and teftifie our unwillingnefs, that our Lord fhould totally give up with this poor land. Ol this hath been many times a fad heart to me, ye have look