a Papist. In the Council Perth moved that one Canaires, minister at
Selkirk, should be arraigned for preaching against the Pope; but he
found no man on his side except Claverhouse, who, though Protestant to
the backbone, had no mind to see his King insulted under the cloak of
religion. James's famous scheme of Universal Toleration was soon found
to be what every sensible man had foreseen--a scheme of toleration for
his own religion and of persecution for all others.

But the history of the next three years, with its wretched tale of
violence and folly, of oppressions that broke the hearts of the loyal,
and concessions that only moved the scorn of the mutinous, may be read
elsewhere. The last appearance of Claverhouse on the scene is at the
Council in February, 1686, where he supports Perth in his motion to
bring the indiscreet minister to book, till he appears again in his
proper character as a soldier commanding the cavalry of the Scottish
contingent on its march south to join the army of England. We know,
however, that in that same year, 1686, he was promoted to be
Major-General, and in March, 1688, was made Provost of Dundee. We must
now pass to the memorable autumn of the latter year.

In September, 1688, a despatch in James's own hand was sent down to the
Council at Edinburgh announcing the imminent invasion of England by the
Prince of Orange. Perth, still Chancellor and a Papist, was told to do
nothing without consulting Balcarres and Tarbat. Their advice was
unquestionably the best that could have been given for James and the
worst for England; for, had it been followed, instead of the short
Highland campaign of the following year, that began at Killiecrankie and
ended at Dunkeld, there would in all probability have been civil war
throughout the kingdom. They advised that the regular troops under
Douglas and Claverhouse, now between three and four thousand strong,
should be augmented by a force of twelve thousand raised from the
Highland clans and the militia, and that these troops should be
distributed along the Border and through the northern shires of England.
Preparations were at once begun to this effect. The chiefs of the great
clans were ordered to hold their claymores ready: the castles of
Edinburgh and Stirling were munitioned for war: the militia was called
out in every county, and volunteers enrolled in every town. In the midst
of the bustle arrived a second despatch from James, ordering the regular
t