brother the Duke of York being a sworn vassal of Antichrist, and longing to be at the throne, that he might be more active in all mischief, made them all conspire to give him a dose, and send him off The aforesaid friends at London said to me, that it was commonly reported, that when he found the poison working upon him, he sat up in his bed, having one of his many whores in bed with him, as was his ordinary, and took a snuff, and it being poisoned also he fell a roaring, and said, "O madman that I have been, that have murdered my best subjects and banished my son the Duke of Monmouth, and committed myself to the hand of murderers!"
6thly, After that excommunication in the Torwood, the full account whereof is to be found in the Hind let Loose, written by famous Mr Shields: After this, there was a price of 6000 merks set upon his head, for any to catch him quick or dead. The violent avowed enemies were still in search for him before this, but more after, who, to gain the prize, had curst Doeg-like intelligencers every where lying-in-wait to betray him into their hands; notwithstanding, he was remarkably preferred, and many times narrowly escaped their hands, until his work was done and his hour come, and then suddenly and surprisingly was catched, as afterwards I shall make plain.
Besides the narrow escapes mentioned in the relation given of him in the Cloud of witnesses, there were other four as follows, 1. His horse was shot beneath him at Linlithgow bridge, and he very narrowly escaped their bloody hands. 2. At Loudon-hill which is before me to give an account of. 3. At the Queensferry, June 3d 1630 when he, with Henry Hall of Haughhead, that worthy Christian Gentleman, were upon their way from Borrowstounness to the Queensferry, these two sons of Belial, the curates of Borrowstouness and Carriden, walking upon the sea-side, knew Mr. Cargill, and went in haste to
