Fight at Bothwel-Bridge

THE

FIGHT

AT

BOTHWEL-BRIDGE.

Composed, into

METRE,

EDINBURGH.

Printed, and Sold by William Forrest, at the Head of the Cow-gate and at his Shop South-side of the Corn-market. 1766.

THE

FIGHT

AT Bothwel Bridge.

O Wo be unto Prelacie
that ever it did stand
and wo be to your new made laws
but and your cursed band
And wo be to you Prelates all,
if ye do not repent
for ye have banish'd Christ away
and broken his covenant.
You Prelates ay when that you look
you do mistake the figure
you think it service good enough
to press the poor with rigour
Our whorish Council apostates
hath made a foul Defection
for they have shed the righteous blood
since Prelates their election:
Our Teachers they have banished
from city and from town;
and raised up a perjured pack
to trade the Gosple down,
When they appear at the letter day
their tales will have no bearing
I hope it’s be there hinder end;
their covenant men swearing.
When we drew up into the well
against these insurrections,
at Pentland hills there we did fight
to witness, against defections,
They buried Christ at pentland hills
that day at Rullein green,
but yet the LORD will rise again,
and reign in Zion King.
For there a King in Zion was,
when man that there was none
and there shall be a king in it,
when this king shall be gone.
When this was done they did us turn
back into Edinburgh town,
our cursed council did command
to put the prisoners down.
Both heads and hands they did stick up
in every publick town.
the reason was we would not yeild
to every Bishop lown.
But evermore the martyrs blood,
the churches feed doth prove,
but and the church found on a rock
nothing shall her remove,
For in that time the seed was sown,
that ever since have grown,
that all the powers of prelacie
shall never get o’erthrown.
Our whorish council did devise,
another evil design:
an hellish-band they did contrive,
which was a devilish thing,
And for to bring this thing about,
some Lords out of the North,
come with adrift of Amorites
cut o’er the watter of forth.
And for this end they did draw up
their whole mischievous troops,
and brought them in by Lemerick town
to search the land throughout
And killed all that they did find
the Gospel that did preach
and made a final end of all
that would not serve the beast.
And then they came to such a hight
to prosecute the band,
and never to hear the Gospel preached
almost into this land,
And now they are not settled yet
for all the wrongs they did.
they think for to disthrone our king,
the crown take of his head
It would take up now too much time
to set down all things here.
how prelates have us persecute
this more than twenty years,
But now to crown all their mischief
which they have further done
they think to make an end and lay
on him a Burial stone,
They did discharge us for to hear
his honest servants preach
and threatened death unto all those
the Gospel that did teach.
They were so mad against the truth
that they would give no bield
to Christ: nor to his followers,
in city, nor in field.
These perjured troops did still go on
in bloody cruelty;
and took our friends at Glasgow town
to send beyond the sea,
Then we drew up into the west.
our dearest Blood to spil
and for our covenants we fought,
that day at Lowdon hill,
Although that Calvers should go mad,
and all his men had sworn,
the LORD did order us and he
our (illegible text) then back did turn,
We were assembled for to hear
the joyful sound I say,
but we were ne’er amind to fight
upon a sabbath day,
This Clavers now of whom I speak
a Tyrant stout was he,
a sudden death him overtake,
for he began the plea.
He came full far to seek a plea,
he met with one that day:
his men were kill’d in open field,
himself wan ill away
He ran a long way on his scot,
his horse did him forlorn
dismounted was his trumpeter
that blew the brazen horn.
And when they fled to Glasgow town
with many wounds and pricks
they made a trench about the cross
with many boards and slicks
When we had gath’red our prisoners
was left in Evendail,
then we pursu’d to Glasgow town
the morn yea without fail.
We entred into Glasgow town
at all the entries four
the timber trenches were so high
that we could not win o’re
But then we put them in a fear
and then return’d again,
unto the Chiming streams of Clyde
and camped on the plain.
Upon the blooming braes of Clyde
we laid our ligour down,
our friends reported unto us
from city and from town.
For to defend in our God’s name
the Gospel in our land,
that which we solemnly had sworn
yea with uplifted hands,
We were engag’d in covenant,
Christ and his cause to win,
and for to bring the banish'd home
and drag the prelates down,
For we had rather loss our selves,
and die in open field,
before we would perjure our selves,
to prelacie to yeild
For they did lie at Glasgow town,
and we in open field
untill the time they fled away
to Stirling to get beild
They marched east throuh Lithgow
for to enlarge their forces
and sent for the north country
to come both foot and horses
Montrose did come and Athol both,
and with them many more,
and all the Highland Amorites
that had been here before,
The Lowdian mallishia they,
came with their coats of blew,
five hundred men from London came
claid in a ridish hue,
When they were assembled one and all
a full bragade were they
like to a pack of hellish hounds,
roring for their prey
When they were all provided well
in armour and amunition,
then thither wester did they come,
most cruel of intention,
When they came in by Blackburn town
and there lay down to rest them,
and then to plunder they began,
of all they had they rest them,
When they came in by the whitburn,
and the peckemes town,
upon the hight of the muirhead,
they laid their ligour down.
And their they lay untill the ⟨time⟩
that ordinance was ready;
both knight and knave, an musquitier
must have a ligour lady.
Then munmouth down from London came
for to govern the battle,
on saturday late they took the gate,
with many droves of cattle.
They marched closly in the night,
and had their soldiers ranked,
I trow their tails were right braid
with bulls and open flanked.
They marched closs by tuck of drum
in that most worldy guise,
and then drew near to Bothwel town
while as the sun did rise
When as we saw them first appear
and for the battle drest,
to keep the entries of the bridge,
we thought it was the best.
Some men were set to keep the bridge
who plaid their part full well;
while amunition did remain
they made their foes to reel.
When the en'mies came near the bridge
into their full bragades
Stileing their cannons on us before,
discharging at our lads
And then the battle it did joyn,
each one did charge the other
the longest gun a volly gave,
al'oud like muskets mother,
It would have made a coward fear’d
to hear such cracks of war;
for many sadles wer made toom,
the shooting was so sore
And many groom were in aghast,
that were stout men before,
this was a day of sad reproch
and of great lamentation.
The laws god were broken down
the glory of our nation,
then Mr. Hamilton did command,
some says he was to blame,
Because he was not valiant
in battle for Gods name,
but whither guilt or ignorance,
God knoweth and himself;
For whither of the two it was,
my author doth not tell
The men who at the bridge did stand
did amunition lake
and no relief at all they got,
and so they did draw hack
The horsemen they did flee away
and left the foot behind;
the enemy did seize on them
for all the rest were gone,
When the enemy had won the bridge
the Westlandmen did flee
the Englishmen and Clavers both
did kill them grievouslie
And all along through Hamilton town
they did kill and did wound
Untill the streets with bodies dead
was cover’d in the town.
Some were dead and some were sick
and some were sorely wounded
they drove them east like unto sheep
before the dogs were hunted,
Then some were dead and some were sick
and some for quarters cryed
and many brave gallants blood,
upon the ground there lyed,
They took twelve hundred prisoners,
when fighting it was done:
and on the morn when it was day,
they gathered all right soon
They drove them to the gray frier’s yeard
and there they were inclosed
It would have made a whole heart sore
to see them so abused,
And there they lay for many a day,
starving for hunger and cold:
our cursed council did command,
they o’er the seas were sold.
Then Arazon did undertake
to go to new plantations,
and to remove them far away,
out of their native nations.
But Judgment shall him overtake,
either here or hereafter?
when Lords of council shall not then
be able him to shelter
They did not send them to the sea
not only for their lives
for two they hang’d in Edinburgh town,
and five of them in Fife,
For such a hellish pack as they
I think shall ne’er renown,
then sent the wounded prisoners
into the sea to drown.
For of two hundred prisoners
that to the sea did go,
was never more returned at all
but only fifty two.
And now they are not settled yet
tho’ they be imbrew’d in blood;
they are begun anew again,
to persecute most rude,
with fineing and with roberie,
the poor they do oppress;
And all that on God's name do call,
either in more or less,
when they send out their hellish hounds
an ioventer to take
Altho' the man he ne’er so poor
the sine they will not take,
they call us rebels to the King
and treators to the Crown,
Because we'll not menswear ourselvs
for every bishop lown,
but we will not acknowledge them
nor own them as our head,
Nor will imbrace on mortal man
into our matters stead,
we will prove royal to the King;
through city and through town.
If they will place our ministers
and ding the Bishops down
the Bishops they are high in power,
and sets themselves as lords;
But when the wheel of fortune turns
beware of sharp rewards,
the Bishops they betrayed the church
of God within this land;
But yet I hope to see the day;
when he will it recall,
and bring us back from Babylon
in spite of prelates all,
The Prelates they are but bastards weeds,
and wounded at the root;
there's nothing grows on them but leaves
or then some withered fruit,
But when the master gardner comes,
and sees how blait they'r like;
he‘l neither dig nor delve no more,
but cast them o'er the dike.

FINIS.