THe Deserved Fate of this Disloyal and perfidious Politicians, which hath such an aspect upon the late Usurpati­on, and the justice and happinesse of these Times, doth so well deserve a Memorial, though in a summary and short account, (and that for the Honour also of his Country, which doth hereby expiate the remaining guilt of that Re­ligious and pious Rebellion, begun and fostred by the rest of this mans Complices) that it is a requi­site duty to the publick to particularize the practises of this puny Matchiavil, during our late and horri­ble Confusions; following the method and traces of divine Vengeance, that hath singled him so remark­ably out, and delivered him tot the Laws, that the [Page 4]world may know, and fear, and tremble, at the un­evitable and righteous recompence of wicked men.

Of all persons, who according to Scripture phrase, may be said to have Sold themselves to work wickednesse; there is none but two in the 3 King­domes that can be compared to him: and those were Bradshaw and Cooke, who set a price on their Villany, and had their reward, and are gone with­out perplexing our Charity, to their own places; This Laird Wariston was one of the same Robe, an Eminent Lawyer in this Kingdome, and preferred by the Committee of Estates, At the instance and pre­sentment of the Kirk, during the late Interregnum, to be the Custos or Magister Rotutorum, or Lord Rogu­ster or Keeper of the Rolls: having given specious proofs of his zealous fondnesse to the Presbyterian most Rigid and Severest Discipline.

He was a great Confident and Privado likewise of the Marquesse of Argyles, under whose clientele and Patronage, he listed himself, and proffered and performed his most officious services to that mans designes; he being the Chieftain and sole supreme Head of those, who ran-counter to the interest of the King in this Nation; and which is not to be o­mitted, a most violent Enemy of the glorious and immortal Marquesse of Montrosse; Nor did he faile of any obsequious insinuations and endearments therby to carve himself a part in those his projected spoyls of Loyal and Dutiful Subjects, and the Crown it self.

But Providence altering the management of the [Page 5]Government in this Kingdome, and taking it from a cunning by devolving it to a violent Usurpation; the Kirk & Committee of Estates, with the General Assembly, being altogether abolished by the Eng­lish conquest, which justly punished their most Ty­rannical insolence upon the Conscience & Estates of their fellow Subjects, by bringing upon their heads an Evil adaequate to their Crimes and Treasons; (for what was formerly infflicted upon the Jewes, who made their Argument of Venient Romani, the Ro­mans will come, a pretence to their Murder of the Messiah; was anew Executed upon these Scots, who having made the Venient Ritus Anglicani, the Rites of the Church of England will come in among us and destroy the Kirk, a pretence and mask to the Rebellion against the Kings Authority, were now retaliated and punished with the victorious Arms (Venient exercitus Anglicani) of the new founded Eng­lish Commonwealth, which these very men had helped to raise to this formidable greatnesse.) I say when this grand mutation was brought about, then did Wariston consult and look out for a better and surer interest, where he might bestow his perfidious endeavours, with the greatest profit and advantage.

For whereas he had mancipated himself to Argile, and linkt himself in a manner to him by most scele­rate and strange combinations, he now estranged himself from him; but suffering him to continue the most notable and greatest of the Kirks party he set up for himself here, with these Grandees of Eng­land mounting in Degree & Trust above his former Master, as Mr. Thurloe did to St. John's, and became [Page 6]afterwards there, Olivers Scotch Secretary of State, and continued in it all along to the very time of the Restitution; and therefore to discover all his vil­lany, it will be necessary to deduce him in a brief History, through the following times.

He appeared a main stickler first with that party, who opposed the agreement with the King at Bre­dah, and would have had his Majesty tyed and ob­liged to more undutiful and disloyal Conditions (though those were unparalleld) before his returne into that Kingdome, in 1650. (like some of our States men in 1659. upon a more happy and grand Revolution:) and when that could not be hindred, the more numerous party of the Parliament pro­ving so honest, as to come to the intended conclu­sion of that affair; yet did he and his faction so op­pose the power of the Kirk to the Kings Authority, and to cry it up as supreme, to such a diminution of Majesty, that the King was no more then a meer shadow of their brightnesse and greatnesse, nor could exercise any part of the Royal Dignity with­out their approbation and allowance.

And to this tenor of deportment did the Faction continue, even after the English Army were advan­ced into Scotland, by which means such misunder­standings and divisions were arisen among the Nobility, and fomented by Cromwell, that there was little hopes of escaping that ruine which soon after ensued. This very fellow & some few more, such as Col. Ker, and Straughan, Sir John Cheisly, and some Ministers, stiled the Western Remonstrants, running out into such treasonable Declaratory Expressions, that they would not own the Kings Quarrel and In­terest, [Page 7]and that it was the cause of all the Evill and Troubles that at present afflicted the Nation, and that the King had been called in without confession and satisfaction, and the like sawcy Dictates, and Penance-Injunctions of this worse then Roman Kirk.

To this treasonable sense, to avoid a defection of such a considerable strength, who would by no means ad­mit of other way, nor would joyn with the Loyal par­ty at any rate, an Answer was sent to Cromwell by way of a Declaration; and thereupon ensued their lamentable and just defeat at Dunbar, which notwith­standing that it did clearly indigitate & point at this their undutifulnesse, yet did this same party conti­nue in the same impious practises, even to the conspi­ring the seizure of the King, (who upon some such ob­scure intimation, did for a while withdraw himself out of their Clutches) and betraying and delivering him, as they had done his Blessed Father, into the hands of the English, for another rounder sum of mo­ney, which Treason they would have vailed still by the Covenant, to their interpretation whereof the King must be submitted. And in this damnable In­trigue, this Laird Warrieston had a principal hand, as by his succeeding actions plainly appeared.

For Edenburgh Castle being surrendred to Cromwell by his fellow Traytor Dundasse the Governour there­of, who had Articled for the Transportation and se­cure conveyance of all the Records and writings be­longing to the Kingdom) which were deposited there) to Sterling, or some other place in the Kings possessi­on, which were contrary to the said Articles detained for a while, with some other precious Goods and Moveables; Warrieston, as it was belonging to his of­fice, [Page 8]was sent to Edenburgh to dispute the matter, and to gain and recover the said Rolls.

This advantage of nearer converse with Cromwell proffering it selfe, when as before it was very dange­rous, he omitted net to prosecute; for being with a safe conduct admitted into that City, in stead of con­testing for his Soveraignty, and his Countries right; he underhand agreed with those Money Masters, to do them what service he could in facilitating their war, which being like to prove cold and frosty work in that Northern clymate, did sadden their premature thoughts, and over credulous and hasty hopes of a full and plenary Conquest of that Nation.

In the mean time the Western Remonstrants grow­ing more Malapart, several of them were called to an­swer their bold & impudent Contumelies of the Kings Authority, and that under pain of Excommunication by the better taught Kirk; and among those this Gen­tleman thē practising the civil jugle at Edenburgh, with some others of that Tribe was summoned, but upon some consideration, while the whole cabat of this tray­terous faction should be better and more fully elucida­ted, & the writings if possibly, as the earnest and gloze of his Treason recovered; he was respited a while: but according to expectation, the said writings being come to Sterling, he with Abernethy, the Lord Swinton and the rest before mentioned, were soon after decla­red Excommunicates, and reserved for the future ju­stice of the Laws.

But Warieston escaped that by the wonderfull and successful progresse of the English Armies (in whose quarters he resolved after a suddden short appearance at Sterling, to communicate his practises with his [Page 9]Gang, and learn the Kings Councels from them, to con­tinue for the future) whose invasion he seemed to quar­rel from Christian grounds, and to desire an amicable debate according to the Scriptures and the Covenant, professing with great shews of devotion his renuntiati­on of the Kings Interest, for which all these Evils, he said, had befallen them. By which means he kept and intended to foment the former divisions according to the instructions of his Treason by Cromwell, in that Nation.

The consequence of which scelerate practise, being reduced by a neer conquest to a lesser and particular designe, which was to keep the Scots now subdued in perpetual discords and misunderstandings, on a religi­ous, as formerly on a civil account; Warreston was the only fit man resolved on to prosecute the Cabel, and to hold sides with the Remonstrants, who had annul­led by their assumed pretended Authority, all that the Kirk had done and ratified in their conclusion with the King at Bredah; and by the same magisterial power, Fasts and Humiliations upon that Treasonable occasi­on were thereby enjoyned; and this promoted on pur­pose to make easie work for the English Usurpers, who by this though partial renunciation of the King by the Scots themselves in that quality as the supreme power, had the lesse work to do towards their total abolition of it, in which this Conspirator was mainly instrumen­tal in all the changes and vicissitudes afterwards.

In the year 1652. the Juncto at Westminster having made in a manner a total Conquest of Scotland, by their Commissioners deputed on that behalf, proceeded to the Union of that with this Kingdome, which having been a frustraneous enterprise in the Reigne of King James, and proving but a meer politick notion and spe­culation [Page 10]was now in a kind effected. By which means they intended to assure that Kingdom by the specious shews of liberty, now made a Commonwealth, from e­ver returning to its ancient Regal and Legal Govern­ment. Against this Warreston, with all the Remon­strants, who liked not their total devestiture of power, directly opposed themselves; but Warreston as employ­ed by our States to dive into the secrets of all that par­ty which he seemed to Head, and to reveal all the Ma­chinations, as well theirs or others which might be in­tended to the recovery of his Country from the slavery they suffered from those Usurpers.

That same Union being at last accomplished by Oli­ver, no man was more re [...]dy to comply with the con­stitution of it, to that purpose getting himself returned a Member for the Parliament of the Three Common­wealths, as the establishment then was; Thirty being allotted respectively for Scotland and Ireland; and in these Assemblies and Conventions, which were very frequent in these times, he was sure to make one of the chief for his Nation, where he learned the knack of ca­tering for himself, by complying with the most destru­ctive Councels and Designes of the prevailing party, therewith insinuating into their familiarity and confi­dence, by most vile Parasitical officers and demerencies of their respects and notice of him; insomuch that he grasped most of the important transactions of the Scotch affairs here, which he prostituted to the will of the Usurper, into his own management, and disposal.

But the greatest remarque of these his wicked Acts here, was manifestin the broyl betwixt Lambert and the Rump, wherein he was so great a Favorite of that Com­mander, that upon the erection of his Committe of Safety, this man was made President thereof pro tempore, [Page 11]which place he discharged chiefly in serving himselfe, and the pleasure and will of that Dictator: but the story of his fawning and most abject sordidnesse herein, is so largely described in a Play called the Rump, that there needs not any additional brand infamous note from this Bead roll of his impieties.

All that shall be said further of him on that account, is, that his Devices to make insurrections and new Troubles in Scot­land by his labouring the Remonstrants and that party to a defection from General Monck then advancing against Lambert, were such ranck and pestilent Treasons, that the discovery of them shewed the desperate wickednesse of his Heart, and made the Noble General be his remembrancer for his due reward, to the Rump, in his speech to them at Westminster; but that, provi­dence was pleased to reserve to a juster hand, and more due in­fliction afterwards; that his original and principal guilt against the King might finally be punished and a [...]enged by his Royal Justice.

Which hoping to avoid, he secretly fled out of Scotland (whe­ther he sneaked from his greatnesse at Westminster) over into France, hoping to find shelter in that populous Kingdome; be­ing pursued with a Proclamation and an Act of Attainder and Confiscation, together with the abovementioned Col. Dundass and others, and Condemned for his most notorious and evident Treasons.

There he lurked a while till his just destiny discovered him to some of his own Nation, who made inquest after him, (an ac­count wherof hath been already given) & sent him with a guard over to Dover, whence he was conveyed to the Tower by His Majesties Order, and not long after shipped for Edenburgh in one of the Kings Frigots in order to his Execution. At his Ar­rival he was committed prisoner to Edenburgh Castle, where the low spirited wretch kept such a Howling and Whining La­mentation, affrighted with the monstrous shame of his crimes, or Fear of Death, that he lookt almost like a Changeling, by which means his Friends (of whom he hath very few) and Relations procured a short respit for his Life, that he might be the fitter for his death.

Upon his appearance at the Bar of the Parliament, and de­manded [Page 12]what he had to say for himself why the sentence should not be excuted; he in a miserable strange posture fell a deny­ing any intention of evil to the King, and that over and over again to the trouble and Din of the Judges and Hearers; then he desired a Copy of his sentence, which was likewise denyed him, as derogating from the Authority of the Parliament, whose wisedome and justice would not admit any debate of it, and so he was commanded to prepare a final answer to the point of Execution, which yet remained to be done; and which will as­suredly overtake him, to the magnifying the Divine Justice, and the expiation of those many pollutions this mans iniquity brought upon this Land, and to the Terrour of all evil Doers, and such pernicious obstinate Traytors for the time to come.