Bothwell Lines.
1
O Woe be unto Prelacie,
That ever it did stand,
And woe be to your new made Laws,
but and your cursed Bands.
2
And woe be to you Prelates all
if you do not repent,
For ye have banished Christ away
and broken his Covenant
3
You Prelates ay when that you look
you do mistake the Figure,
You think it service good enough
to press the Poor with Rigour.
4
Our whorish Council apostates
hath made a foul Defection,
For they have shed the righteous Blood
since Prelats their Election.
5
Our Teachers they have banished,
from City and from Town,
And raised up a perjur'd pack
to trade the Gospel down.
6
When they appear at the latter day
their Tales will have no bearing,
I hope its be their hinder end,
their Covenants Menswearing.
7
When we drew up into the West
against those Insurrections,
At
Pentlandhills there we did fight,
to Witness against Defections.
8
They burried Christ at
Pentlandhills,
that day at
Rullein green,
But yet the Lord will rise again,
and reign in
Zion King.
9
For there a King in Zion was,
when Man that there was none,
And there shall be a King in it,
when this King shall be gone.
10
When this was done they did us turn
back into
Edinourgh Town,
Our cursed Council did command
to put the Prisoners down.
11
Both Heads and Hands they did stick up
in every publick Town,
The reason was we would not yeild
to every Bishop Lown.
12
But evermore the Martyers Blood
the Churches seed doth prove,
But and the Church found on a Rock
nothing shall her remove,
13
For in that time the seed was sown
that ever since hath grown,
That all the powers of Prelacie
shall never get overthrown.
14
Our whorish Council did devise,
an other evil Design,
An hellish band they did contrive,
which was a devilish thing.
15
And for to bring this thing about,
some Lords out of the North,
Came with a drift of
Amorites,
out ov'r the Water of
Forth.
16
And for this End they did draw up,
their whole mischievous Troups,
And brought them in be
Lenrick Town,
to search the Land throughout.
17
And killed all that they did find,
the Gospel that did preach;
And made a final End of all,
that would not serve the Beast.
18
And then they came to such a Height,
to persecut the Band,
And never to hear the Gospel preach'd
almost into this Land.
19
And now they are not settled yet,
for all the Wrongs they did,
They think for to disthrone our King,
the Crown take off his Head.
20
It would take up now too much Time,
to set down all Things here,
How Prelates have us perescute
this more than Twenty Year.
21
But now to crown all their Mischief
which they have further done,
They think to make an end and lay
on him a Burial stone.
22
They did discharge us for to hear
his honest Servanes Preach,
And threatened Death unto all those
the Gospel that did teach.
23
They were so mad against the Truth
that they would give no bield,
To Christ nor to his followers
in City nor in Field.
24
These perjured Troups did still go on
in bloodie Cruelty,
And took our Friends at
Glasgow Town
to send beyond the Sea.
25
When we drew up into the
West
our dearest blood to spill,
And for our Covenants we fought
that day at
Lowdin-hill.
26
Although that
Clevers should go mad
and all his Men had sworn,
The Lord did order us and he,
our Foes then back did turn.
27
We were assembled for to hear
the joyfull sound I say,
But we were ne're amind to fight,
upon a Sabbath-day.
28
This
Clavers now of whom I speak,
a Tirent stout was he,
A sudden deed him overtake,
for he began the Plea.
29
He came full far to seek a Plea,
he met with one that day,
His Men were killed in open Field,
himself wan ill away.
30
He ran a long way on his Foot,
his Horse did him forlorn,
Dismounted was his Trumpeter
that blew the brasen horn.
31
And then they fled to
Glasgow Town,
with many wounds and Pricks
They made a Trench about the Cross
with many Boards and Sticks.
32
When we had gathered our Prisoners
was left in
Evendail.
Then we persued to
Glasgow-town
the morn, yea without fail.
33
We entered into
Glosgow town
at all the enteries four,
The timber Trenches was so hie
that we could not win ov'r.
34
But yet we put them in a fear
and then returned again,
Unto the gliming streams of
Clyde,
and Camped on the Plain.
35
Upon the blooming Braes of
Clyde
we laid our Ligour down,
Our Friends resorted unto us
from City and from Town.
26
For to defend in our Gods Name,
the Gospe
[...] in our Land,
The which we solemnly had sworn,
yea with uplifted Hand.
37
We were ingaged in Covenant
Christ and his Cause to win,
And for to bring the banished home,
and ding the Prelates down.
38
For we had rather loss our Lives
and dy in open Field,
Before we would perjure our sevles,
to Prelacie to yeild.
39
For they did ly at
Glasgow-town
and we in open Field,
Untill the time they fled away
to
Stirling to get bield.
40
They marched east throw
Lithgow-town
for to inlarge their Forces,
And sent for all the
North-Country,
to come both Foot and Horses.
41
Montrose did come and
Athole both,
and with them many more,
And all the
Highland Amorites,
that had been there before.
42
The
Lowdien-Mallisha they
came with their Coats of Blew,
Five hundred Men from
London came
claid in a reddish hew.
43
When they were assembled one and all
a full Bragade were they.
Like to a pack of hellish hounds,
roreing after their prey.
44
When they were all provided well,
in Armour and Amonition
Then thither wester did they come
most cruel of Intention.
45
When they came in by
Blackburn Town,
and there lay down to rest them;
And then to plunder they began
of all they had they reft them.
46
When they came in by the
Whitebu
[...]
and be
Pockemet Town:
Upon the hight of the Moorhead
they laid their Ligour down.
47
And there they lay until the time
that Ordinance was ready;
Both Knight and Knave and Musquiti
[...]
must have a Ligour Lady.
48
Then
Monmouth down from
Lond
[...] cam
[...]
for to govern the Battle,
On Saturday late they took the Gate:
with many Droves of Cattle.
49
They marched Closly in the Night,
and had their Soldiers ranked
I trow their talls they were right bra
[...]
with bulls and open sanked.
50
They marched closs by Tuck of Dru
[...]
in that most worldly Gaise;
And then drew near to
Bothwell Tow
[...]
while as the Sun did raise.
51
When as we saw them first appear
and for the Battle drest,
To keep the Entries of the Bridge:
we thought it was the best.
52
Some Men were set to keep the Bridge,
who plaid their part full well;
While Amonition did remain
they made their foes to reel:
53
When the Enemies came near the Bridge,
into their full bragades
Stilling their Cannons us before,
Discharging at our Lads.
54
And then the Battle it did Join,
each one did charge the other:
The longest Gun a vollie gave,
aloud like Musket smother.
55
It would have made a Coward fear'd
to hear such Cracks of war
For many Sadles were made toom,
the shooting was so sore.
56
And many Grooms were in a gast,
that were stout Men before:
This was a day of sad reproach,
and of Great Lamentation.
57
The Laws of God, were broken down
the Glory of our Nation;
Then Mr.
Hamilton did Command
some says he was to blame.
58
Because he was not Valiant,
in battle for Gods Name;
But whether Guilt or Ignorance
God knoweth and himsell.
59
For whether of the two it was
my Author does not tell;
The Men who at the Bridge did stan
[...]
did Amonition laike.
60
And no relief at all they got;
and so they did draw back
The Horse Men they did flee away
and left the Foot behind.
61
[...]he enemie did seize on them,
for all the rest were gone:
[...]hen the Enemy had won the Bridge
the westland Men did flee.
[...]he
Englishmen and
Clavers both
did kill them Grievouslie:
[...]nd all along throw Hamilton Town
they did both kill and wound.
62
[...]ntil the Streets with Bodies Dead,
was Covered in the Town
[...]ome were dead and some were sick,
and some were sorely wounded.
[...]hey drove them East like unto sheep,
before the Dogs were hounded.
[...]hen some were dead & some were sick,
and some for Quarters Cryed.
63
[...]nd many a brave Gallants Blood,
upon the Ground there lyed
[...]hey took twelve Hundred Prisoners:
when fighting it was done.
[...]nd on the morn when it was Day
[...]hey gathered all right soon
[...]hey drove them to the Gray friers Yeard
and there they were Inclosed.
64
It would have made an whole Heart sore
to see them so abused;
And there they lay for many a day,
Starving for Hunger and Cold.
Our Cursed Council did command
they over the Seas were sold;
Then Arazion did undertake,
to go to new plantations.
65
And to remove them far away,
one of their Native Nations;
But Judgment shall him overtake
either here or hereafter.
When Lords of Council shalt not then
be able him to shelter,
66
They did not send them to the Sea,
not only for their Lives
For two they hang'd in
Edinburgh town
and five of them in
Fife.
For such a hellish pack as they
I think shall never renown;
That sent the wounded Prisoners,
into the Sea to drown.
67
[...]or of two hundred Prisoners,
that to the Sea did go,
Was never Man returned at all
but only fiftie two.
And now they are not settled yet,
though they be Inbrewed in Blood;
They are begun a new again
to prsecute most rude.
68
With Fining and with Roberie,
the Poor they did oppress,
And all that on Gods Name do Call,
either in more or less.
When they send out their hellish hounds
an Inventer to take.
Although the Man be never so poor,
the fyne they will not lake.
69
They call us rebels to the King,
and traitors to the Crown:
Because we'll not Menswear our selves
for every Bishop Lown.
But we will not acknowledge them,
nor own them as our head,
Nor will embrace no mortal Man,
into our Masters stead.
70
We shall prove Loyal to the King,
throw City and throw Town,
If they will place our Ministers,
and ding the Bishops down
The Bishops they are hie in power,
and sets themselves as Lords,
But when the wheel of fortune turns,
beware of sharp rewards.
71
The Bishops they betrayed the Church
of God within this Land:
And they have set themselves as heads,
above the Church to stand,
But yet I hope to see the day,
when he will it recal.
And bring us back from
Babylon,
in spite of Prelates all.
72
The Prelates they are but bastard weeds
and wounde
[...] at the root,
There's nothing grows on them but
or then some withered fruit.
But when the Master Gardiner comes leaves
and sees how blait they are like,
He'l neither dig nor delve no more
but cast them ov'r the Dyke.
FINIS.