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their instructions, and that we ought not for such things to break off the treaty, and undoe the king and his bussines.

None of us three ministers ever went to the king alone, but oftest altogether, or at least two of us. We went but seldom; but whenever we went, so soon as the king knew, we had access and liberty to stay and speak so long as we pleased. We oft urged that if the king had any scruples against the Covenant, or any of the parts of the uniformity or desyres of the treaty, that he would impart them to us; but he never proponed any such thing.

One tyme, I¹ lyeing of the megrim, the other two having been at him, reported to me, that having entered in some kinde of dispute with him about episcopacy and ceremonies, they found he had been poisoned in his principles by those that had been with him, denying [that] the Scripture was ane perfect rule in those things contraverted, and enquireing how people knew that it was the word of God, but by the testimony of the Church. All the while of the treaty at Breda, he continued the use of the Service Book and of his chaiplans,² and many nights he was balling and danceing till near day. At the beginning of the treaty, it was reported to us by Liberton, that ane gentleman had come to the king from Paris, being sent by his mother, desyring that by all means he should close with the Scots, otherwise she was resolved never to come out of that cloyster through the gate whereof she then spake to the gentleman. And all the while it was so looked upon that there were two factions at court, the one being the Queen's faction, was for ane close of the treatie, the other called Prince Rupert's, wherin was also the Queen of Bohem[ia] his mother, and James Graham, were supposed to be against the treaty. All these things made me alwayes suspect there would be no blessing on the treaty, and many a time Mr Hucheson and I, whose chambers joyned close one to another, would confess one to another, that we were glad when the treaty

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¹    "Was."

²    "Chaiplaine."

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was like to break off, and sad when there was appearance of closeing it. It was found therafter, that in the very time of the treaty, James Graham, by commission from the king, invaded Scotland with ane army, where being defaite, his commission was found,¹ himself brought to Edinburgh and hanged. It was an omission, that we who were Commissioners from the Church,² seldom ever mett in an meeting severally by ourselves for prosecuting of our instructions, but satisfied our selves with drawing up and giving in our papers severall from the State's papers, and with joyning with the meetings of the Commissioners of the State when they mett. I was unsatisfied with the whole way of going on of the treaty. For, 1st, It seemed rather like ane merchant's bargain of prigging somewhat higher or lower than ingenuous dealing, and so far as could be discerned, the king granted nothing but what in an sort he was compelled to, and which, if he had had his full freedom, he would not have willingly consented to, which possibly was rather the fault of those that were about him nor his own. 2dly, Not only the Prince of Orange and one Mr M'Dougall, who were employed by the king, were sometimes spoken with, but Lauderdale, who had done no good offices to Scotland before, whether brought in or coming of himself, yet he was present at some of our meetings and debates, and papers and resolutions were communicated sometimes both to him and to Duke Hamilton. 3dly, The king in his demands, the granting wherof he desyred to be³ previous to all his concessions, required some things, which, although they were not directly granted, yet discovered in some sort his purpose and inclination, as that there should be ane union of all for promoving his interest, and although the demand did not mention the Irish rebells, and James Graham, yet if it had been granted, it would have included them. 4thly, Some of the king's demands, as that anent the engadgers, and that anent the ensuring the prosecuting of the king's interest in England, the commissioners, although not instructed to answer these, yet

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¹    "And."

²    "Kirk."

³    "Might be."