several others, as his desire, "that if it
were the will of God, he might have some honourable call to sacrifice his
life in defence of religion and the liberties of his country;" so,
when it appeared to him most probable that he might be called to it
immediately, he met the summons with the greatest readiness. This appears
in part from a letter which he wrote to the Rev. Mr. Adams, of Falkirk,
just as he was marching from Stirling, which was only eight days before
his death:--"The rebels," says he, "are advancing to cross the Frith;
but I trust in the Almighty God, who doth whatsoever he please in the
armies of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth." The same
gentleman tells me, that, a few days after the date of this, he marched
through Falkirk with his regiment; and though he was then in so
languishing a state, that he needed his assistance as secretary to write
for some reinforcements, which might put it in his power to make a stand,
(as he was very desirous to have done,) he expressed a most genuine and
noble contempt of life, when about to be exposed in the defence of a
worth cause.

These sentiments wrought in him to the last in the most effectual manner,
and he seemed for a while to have infused them into the regiment which he
commanded; for they expressed such a spirit in their march from Stirling,
that I am assured the colonel was obliged to exert all his authority to
prevent their making incursions on the rebel army, which then lay very
near him; and had it been thought proper to send him the reinforcements
he requested, none can say what the consequence might have been; but he
was ordered to march as fast as possible to meet Sir John Cope's forces
at Dunbar, which he did; and that hasty retreat, in concurrence with the
news which they soon after received of the surrender of Edinburgh to the
rebels, (either by the treachery or weakness of a few, in opposition to
the judgment of by far the greater and better part of the inhabitants,)
struck a panic into both the regiments of dragoons, which became visible
in some very apparent and remarkable circumstances in their behaviour,
which I forbear to relate. This affected Colonel Gardiner so much that,
on the Thursday before the fatal action of Prestonpans, he intimated to
an officer of considerable rank and note, from whom I had it by a very
sure channel of conveyance, that he expected the event would be as in
fact it was. In this view, there is all imagina