[Sidenote d: A.D. 1650. May 25.]

to be of injury to the unfortunate victim, whose limbs were already
bleaching on the gates of the principal towns in Scotland; but the
falsehood so confidently put forth must cover with infamy the prince who
could thus, to screen himself from the anger of his enemies, calumniate the
most devoted of his followers, one who had so often perilled, and at length
forfeited, his life in defence of the throne.

Charles had now no resource but to submit with the best grace to the
demands of the Scots. He signed the treaty,[a] binding himself to take
the Scottish covenant and the solemn league and covenant; to disavow
and declare null the peace with the Irish, and never to permit the free
exercise of the Catholic religion in Ireland, or any other part of his
dominions; to acknowledge the authority of all parliaments held since the
commencement of the late war; and to govern, in civil matters, by advice of
the parliament, in religious, by that of the kirk.[1] These preliminaries
being settled,[b] he embarked on board a small squadron furnished by the
prince of Orange, and, after a perilous navigation of three weeks, during
which he had to contend with the stormy weather, and to elude the pursuit
of the parliamentary cruisers, he arrived in safety in the Frith of
Cromartie.[c] The king was received with the honours due to his dignity; a
court with proper officers was prepared for him at Falkland, and the sum
of one hundred thousand pounds Scots, or nine thousand pounds English, was
voted for the monthly expense of his household. But the parliament had
previously[d] passed an act banishing from Scotland several of the royal
favourites by name, and excluding the "engagers" from the verge of the
court, and all employment

[Footnote 1: Thurloe, i. 147.]