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liberty.” And when sailing in their voyage praying publicly he said, “Lord, such is the enemies hatred at thee and malice at us for thy sake, that they will not let us stay in thy land of Scotland, to serve thee. though some of us have nothing but the Canopy of thy heavens above us, and the earth to tread upon; but, Lord, we bless thy name, that will cut short our voyage, and frustrate thy enemies of their wicked design, that they will not get us where they intend; and some of us shall go richer home than we came from home.” James Pride, who lived in Fife, an honest man, being one of them, he said many times, he could assert the truth of this, for he came safely home; and beside other things, he bought two cows, and before that, he never had one. I had these accounts both from the foresaid James Kay and Robert Punton, a known public man, worthy of all credit who was also under the same sentence, who lived in the parish of Dalmony near Queensferry.
9. When they arrived at London, the skipper, who received them at Leith, was to carry them no further; the skipper, who was to receive them there, and carry them to Virginia came to see them, they being represented to him as thieves, robbers, and evil doers; but when he found they were all grave Christian men, banished for Presbyterian principles, he said he would sail the sea with none such. In this confusion, that the one skipper would not receive them, and the other would keep them no longer, being expensive to maintain them, they were all set at liberty. Others reported that both skippers got compliments from friends at London; however, it is certain, they were safely set free, without any imposition of bonds or oaths; and friends at London, however in their way homewards through England shewed much kindness unto them.
10. That dismal day. June 22, 1679. at Bothwel-Bridge that the Lord’s people fell, and fled before the enemy In was forty miles distant, near the border, and kept himself retired until the middle of the day,that
