of Horse belonging to Major, Generall Lambert,
and Commissary-gen. Whalley and the Regiment of Foot
belonging to Sir William Constatile, they being already on
their march, by whose assistance we doubt not but to send
this plundring Crew back again to the Highlands, where
they will not be able to subsist in a Body, all their dependance
being upon Charls Stuart, and his endeavours with
the Dutch for money and Arms.
But if a Peace be with Holland (as we hear it is in a fair
way) the first news of it will quite take away their hearts,
and make them of their own accord retire to their several
Habitations, without ever drawing of a Sword against
them. So great a destruction hath already been brought
upon Scotland by these Robbers, that a few months longer
continuance of spoil and disorder, would bring them
into the same condition with the Irish, who have been by
Famin forced to eat the Corpses of their deceased Friends,
after divers dayes interment. And yet these are not much
to be pitied by us, because of their implacable enmity, who
will rather suffer themselves to be undone by the Enemy,
rather than give notice to our Garrisons, when any of the
Highlanders come amongst them, or pass through their
Country; accounting and calling it Treachery to be any
way instrumentall in the surprising of those that would
destroy them. There is a Talk among them, as if the
Highlanders had some Arms and Ammunition landed in
the Northern parts.
By Letters from Madrid of the 16 of December, 1653.
Their Majesties are here in perfect health: Two dayes
hence they go again to Escurial, to be present at some
Church service performed, yearly in commemoration of
the deceased Princes belonging to the House of Austria.
There is to be seen in this City a copy of a Letter in Print
sent from the Jesuites in Armenia to those in this City;
wherein they express a very strange thing hapned in that
Countrey, which is thus briefly; There being about Five
months since many Turks and Moores met together at a