On the thirtieth day of parliament
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Prayers said, rolls called.
1. You shall with all possible diligence proceed to the king's majesty, deliver our letters, show your commission and tell the true reasons and excuses of your not coming sooner to his majesty.
2. You shall show his majesty that as this kingdom was not wanting in their faithful counsels to his royal father for preventing the dangers which were then feared and have since (to our great grief) fallen out, so did they with all care and faithfulness contribute their utmost endeavours for preservation of their late sovereign, as their letters, instructions, declarations and commissioners' papers can witness.
3. You shall show his majesty with what unanimity, alacrity, diligence and solemnity the parliament did acknowledge and proclaim him king of Great Britain, France and Ireland.
4. You shall show his majesty that his father's opposition to the covenant and work of reformation was the chief cause of his and the kingdom's troubles.
5. You shall show his majesty how unacceptable the enemies and opposers of the covenant and reformation are to this church and kingdom.
6. You shall communicate to his majesty the act of the date 7 February instant as that which contains the necessary satisfaction which is desired and expected from his majesty by this kirk and kingdom for securing religion and the peace of the kingdom, and for gaining not only the outward obedience but also the inward affections of all his good people to his royal person, authority and government after so great distractions and troubles. And notwithstanding the appearance and apprehensions of new disturbances and dangers, likewise you shall by all the good reasons you can think upon endeavour to persuade the king's majesty to give the satisfaction desired heartily and speedily.
7. If his majesty shall show his willingness and resolution to give the satisfaction desired in the said act and to make the same known to the parliament here and to the commissioners of the kirk, you shall in their name invite his majesty to come to his kingdom of Scotland and assure his majesty that he shall be received and entertained with all safety, freedom, honour, duty and respect which can be demanded or expected by a gracious king from contented subjects who are tied to him by so many bonds and oaths.
8. If his majesty upon these grounds resolves to come here, his majesty would be pleased to leave all those persons who were excluded by the propositions of both kingdoms or against whom this kingdom has just cause of exception, and declare that in matters civil he will follow the counsels of his parliament and such as are or shall be authorised by them, and in matters ecclesiastic the counsels of the general assembly and such as are or shall be authorised by them.
9. You shall deliver our letters to the queen of Bohemia, to the prince of Orange and to the princess royal, and you shall desire them to interpose and make use of their assistance to move the king to give satisfaction as is above-desired.
10. You shall likewise deliver our letters to the estates of Holland and show them how aware we are of their kind respects to our king and our desires to entertain all friendship and amity with them. And you shall deal both with the prince of Orange and them for a safe and honourable convoy to his majesty to this kingdom.
11. You shall show his majesty the great dangers and irreparable losses which must inevitably ensue upon his delay or refusal of the aforesaid desires, for by delay his enemies will be encouraged and strengthened and the people be forced to couch under their burdens and submit to their yoke, despairing of any means of relief or deliverance; and then the redress will be more difficult, and opportunity once lost cannot be recovered. The neglect of opportunities which were frequently offered and not taken hold of by his royal father (as may be evidently instanced) was the chief cause of his and the kingdom's troubles and proved sad and fatal at last; and the sooner his majesty begins to move that way which may be acceptable to God and good men, and offer to settle religion and peace and upon these grounds claim the right of his government before democracy or any new model of government under the name of an agreement of the people or any other name or device be settled and take root, it will be more easy to maintain monarchical government than to repeal and cast out any new form of government after it is once established and the people habituated thereto. And if now when by the power and prevalence of sectaries and the army in England that kingdom is subdued and almost lost and Ireland in very great distraction, his majesty shall delay or refuse to satisfy the desires of the kingdom of Scotland, especially concerning religion and the covenant, which is the strongest bond to tie subjects to their king, it will weaken all who love religion and government in England and Ireland and will wholly discourage and disable Scotland to do for him and constrain them in such an extremity to resolve upon some effectual course by the parliament to preserve religion and the kingdom from ruin and destruction. And his majesty's granting of the aforesaid desires will so far endear him to this nation and assure their affection and duty to him as they will not only receive him with all cheerfulness and most willingly render to him that subjection and dutiful obedience which can be expected from loyal subjects to their king, but likewise to contribute their utmost endeavours by all necessary and lawful means according to their covenant and the duty of loyal and faithful subjects that his majesty may be restored to the peaceable position of the government of his other kingdoms according to his undoubted right of succession. And as his majesty's joining in the covenant with God and his people for settling religion is the surest foundation of a safe and well grounded peace, so it will certainly be the best and most effectual way to establish his throne in righteousness.
12. You shall concur with and be assisting to the commissioners of the church in pursuance of their instructions, taking their advice also in the managing of your power, especially in these things relating to religion.
13. If the king's majesty be willing to give satisfaction to this kingdom, you shall desire him to recall all commissions issued forth for acting any thing by sea or land to the prejudice of the covenant or to this kingdom or to the prejudice of any who shall do or shall adhere to the Solemn League and Covenant and monarchical government in any of his other kingdoms.
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Upon his majesty's resolution to come to Scotland, it seems expedient for preventing jealousies and misconstructions that he emits a declaration to show the reasons which invited his majesty to come here, as because it could not be safe for him to go to England, where his royal father suffered imprisonment and death by a prevalent army and faction who have usurped all power which they maintain still in their hands by the sword. Nor could his majesty proceed to England in relation to that power which acts now in place of his houses of parliament, most part of the members being violently restrained or chased away, and those who remain being under the leash and overawed by the face of an imperious army, having, contrary to their duty and many oaths and declarations, cast off monarchy and that fundamental government under which that kingdom lived so many ages in peace and plenty. Neither was it agreeable or fit that his majesty should go to his kingdom of Ireland, in respect of the present distractions and great distempers which are in that kingdom and the misconstructions which might arise upon his majesty's going there. Therefore, that his majesty may have the better opportunity to give real evidence of his pious and princely care of the good and safety of his people and love to peace, has upon mature and serious deliberation resolved to go to his ancient kingdom of Scotland, from where he intends to send such messages to his houses of parliament and kingdom of England as may contribute most for settling religion with a just and lasting peace and put an end to the distractions and troubles of his distressed kingdoms.
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The estates of parliament grant power and warrant to the committee appointed for visiting the castle of Edinburgh, with advice of the general officers, the provost and some of the town of Edinburgh, to go down to Leith and take into consideration the present condition of the fortification of the said burgh, with power to them to give orders for doing what they shall think further necessary for repairing the same fortification; as also to call for the assistance of the several parishes and burghs within the sheriffdom of Edinburgh, and to call for such canons out of the ships and other canons belonging to the public as they shall think fitting. And in the meantime, until the said committee meets, appoint the provost and bailies of Edinburgh to go to Leith and take such course in the premises as they find necessary and make report relating thereto to the parliament, that they thereafter may do as they shall think fit.
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The estates of parliament have nominated and appointed [John Kennedy], earl of Cassilis, [Alexander Brodie], laird of Brodie and James Sword as a committee of parliament to take into consideration the number of horse and foot within the sheriffdoms of Kincardine, Aberdeen, Banff, Inverness, Caithness and Sutherland, with power to them to divide the same proportionally without diminution of the number and to convert the horse in foot or foot in horse as they shall think fitting.
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The estates of parliament etc., taking into their consideration a supplication given in by the town of Anstruther Easter anent their distressed estate and present inability to pay the sum of £2,511 principal, with £907 12s of annualrent, owing by them to Sir James Murray as their part of the [...] owing by the burghs to the said Sir James; and therefore, as also in respect of the great insupportable burdens they bear and losses they have sustained of men and goods, that they may have some reparation of their losses, without which they cannot continue to be a burgh nor have the benefit of the ministry preserved amongst them; and in the meantime they may have maintenance and excise allowed to them to help to supply their present distress and payment of the said sum. Which supplication being read and considered by the said estates of parliament, they remitted the same and desire therein contained to be considered by James [Elphinstone], lord Coupar, Arthur Erskine of Scotscraig and Hugh Kennedy, provost of Ayr, who, having met according to the order aforesaid and having taken information what the sum justly owing will extend to, they find that there is due to Sir James Murray of principal sum £2,511 and of annualrent £907 12s; and thereafter the said committee, having taken particular information of the true estate of the said burgh of Anstruther Easter and finding their losses to be extraordinarily great, both in men and shipping whereby the said burgh stood, and finding that their burdens are great and are partly contracted by the building of a new kirk where there was never any before, and partly in payment of a constant stipend to their minister without any help, they having no burgh acres, which great burdens have caused many of their inhabitants to desert the town, therefore the said committee did represent to the honourable estates of parliament to take the pitiful condition of the said town to consideration, so that some present help and redress might be made to them, which they conceive may be best by suffering them to apply their maintenance and excise for a time, which is a matter of small importance for payment of the aforesaid debt. And to the effect that the ministry of the word may continue in the said burgh, which is impossible to be maintained without some help, they being burdened with the payment of two stipends (one to their own minister and a considerable part of another stipend to the minister of Kilrenny), that therefore the estates of parliament would, out of their zeal to the glory of God and well of the souls of the people, appoint some competency for payment of one of the said stipends out of the excess of the rents of the priory and bishopric of St Andrews, the university being first paid of the sum of £1,000 sterling due to them by the king's gift and provision, and the ministry of St Andrews paid of £100 sterling due to them by order of parliament, and likewise any other gift being satisfied. Which report being taken into consideration by the honourable estates of parliament, the said estates of parliament have, for present relief of the said distressed town, ordained the monthly maintenance and excise of the said town to be applied for payment of the said debt owing to the said Sir James Murray, principal and annualrent, for the space of 18 months, the month of February instant being the first thereof, and to be collected by such as the town council shall appoint and applied to the use aforesaid; and ordain the same to be allowed to Sir James Stewart [of Kirkfield and Coltness], commissary-general, as given out for that use, and exonerate the said commissary-general of the said monthly maintenance and excise for as much; and the said estates of parliament exonerate the said Sir James Stewart of his being cautioner to present William Hamilton, commissary for the said town, before the said parliament. And in respect of the course taken for payment of the said sums of money to the said Sir James Murray, the said estates of parliament discharge all further execution, personal or real, to follow upon the said bond against any of the magistrates of the said town or any other person or persons, granters of the aforesaid bond to the said Sir James Murray. And further the said estates of parliament have recommended to the said Lord Coupar and Arthur Erskine of Scotscraig to speak and endeavour with the university of St Andrews or their commissioners that, with their consent, a part of the excess of the rents of the priory and bishopric of St Andrews may be appointed for payment of one of the two stipends now paid by the said town of Anstruther Easter, whereof the one is totally paid by them and a considerable part of the other, the former provisions being first paid and satisfied.