Ancient Scottish ballads, recovered from tradition, and never before ...

108
of Royalty; yet " Sometimes James Marquis of Mon-
trose sided with the Covenanters in Scotland, and very
forwardly bestowed his unhappily happy endeavours in
their behoof. They pretended to nothing then, less
than the preservation of religion, the honour and dig-
nity of the king, the laws of the land, and the freedom
of that ancient realm, so happily, so valiantly defended
in the time of yore, from such powerful enemies as the
Romans, Saxons, Danes, Normans, by the sweat and
blood, with the lives and estates, of their ancestors.
But, at last, in the year 1639, Montrose found out that
these fair tales were coyn'd of purpose to steal the
hearts of the silly and superstitious multitude, and to
alienate them from the king, as an enemy to religion
and liberty. For the Covenanters did not dissemble
to him, but spoke out, that Scotland had been too
long governed by kings ; nor could it ever be well with
them as long as one Stewart (that's the sirname of the
king's family in Scotland) was alive: and in the extir-
pation of them, they were first to strike at the head;
so that Montrose easily perceived the king's majesty
and person was levelled at. Therefore, vehemently
detesting so horrible a crime, he resolved to desert the
conspirators' side, to frustrate their counsels, to im-
poverish their store, to weaken their strength, and with
all his might to preserve his majesty and his authority
entire and inviolate."— Wishearfs Memoirs of Mon-
trose. It would appear that it was during the period
of his unfortunate attachment to the Covenanters, that
the house of Airly was plundered; for Montrose did
not desert that party till 1641.