n arms; and a third part of them,
with the regular forces, were on their march to oppose him. All the
considerable gentry of his clan were thrown into prison. And two
ships of war were on the coast to watch his motions. Under all these
discouragements he yet made a shift, partly from terror, partly from
affection, to collect and arm a body of about two thousand five hundred
men; but soon found himself surrounded on all sides with insuperable
difficulties. His arms and ammunition were seized, his provisions cut
off: the marquis of Athole pressed him on one side; Lord Charles Murray
on another; the duke of Gordon hung upon his rear; the earl of Dunbarton
met him in front. His followers daily fell off from him; but Argyle,
resolute to persevere, broke at last with the shattered remains of his
troops into the disaffected part of the low countries, which he had
endeavored to allure to him by declarations for the covenant. No one
showed either courage or inclination to join him; and his small and
still decreasing army, after wandering about for a little time, was at
last defeated and dissipated without an enemy. Argyle himself was seized
and carried to Edinburgh, where, after enduring many indignities with
a gallant spirit, he was publicly executed. He suffered on the former
unjust sentence which had been passed upon him. The rest of his
followers either escaped or were punished by transportation: Rumbold and
Ayloffe, two Englishmen who had attended Argyle on this expedition, were
executed.

The king was so elated with this continued tide of prosperity, that he
began to undervalue even an English parliament, at all times formidable
to his family; and from his speech to that assembly, which he had
assembled early in the winter, he seems to have thought himself exempted
from all rules of prudence or necessity of dissimulation. He plainly
told the two houses, that the militia, which had formerly been so much
magnified, was now found, by experience in the last rebellion, to be
altogether useless; and he required a new supply, in order to maintain
those additional forces which he had levied. He also took notice that he
had employed a great many Catholic officers, and that he had, in their
favor, dispensed with the law requiring the test to be taken by every
one that possessed any public office. And to cut short all opposition,
he declared, that, having reaped the benefit of their service during
such times of danger he was determin