e betrayed them to the enemy, sold them for money,
swept the priming off the cannon at the bridge, &c. But from all these
he has been by one (whom we must take to have been a very impartial
writer on that affair) some time ago sufficiently vindicated; unto whom,
for brevity's sake, the reader must at present be referred[255].

Shortly after Bothwel, he went over to Holland; upon which his estate
was forfeited 1684, and he sentenced to be executed whenever
apprehended. During his stay here he was of great service and use to his
own countrymen, and had the honour to be employed by them as
commissioner of the persecuted true Presbyterian church of Christ in
Scotland, having received commission from them to represent their case,
and crave the sympathy of foreign churches; and it was by his skill,
industry and faithfulness in prosecuting this commission, that he
prevailed with the presbytery of Groningen _anno_ 1683, to ordain the
famous and faithful Mr. James Renwick, a minister of the gospel, for the
persecuted true Presbyterian church of Christ in Scotland. And
afterwards, as their delegate with the presbytery of Embden, to ordain
Mr. Thomas Lining a minister of the gospel for the same church.

Mr Hamilton, by virtue of his commissions which about that time he had
received from the united societies[256], went through several places of
Germany in the end of the year 1686: For an old manuscript (given under
his own hand dated March 10th, 1687) bears, that through many hazards
and difficulties, he arrived about the 10th of Oct. at Basil in
Switzerland, from whence he went to Geneva about the 16th of Nov. and so
into Bern, Zurich, and other places in Batavia and the Helvetian
Cantons, not without many imminent hazards and dangers. In which places
he conferred with the most part of their professors and other learned
men, craving their judgment and sympathy toward his mother church, and
the poor persecuted people in the kingdom of Scotland[257].

But having emerged forth of all these difficulties, he returned home at
the revolution, about which time his brother Sir William Hamilton of
Preston died, and he fell heir to his brother's estate and honours. And
although after that he was still designed by the name of Sir Robert
Hamilton of Preston, yet because he could not in conscience enter into,
possess or enjoy that estate, unless he had owned the title of the
prince and princess of Orange, as king and queen of these three
cove