This short but faithful account of our martyred friends will, I hope, sir, yield great consolation to you and poor Mrs. Syddal. Poor, dear Charles bears in a commendable manner [Sidenote: _fol._ 284.] his great loss and other afflictions, and behaves like a man and a Christian in all his actions.
Copy of a Letter from SIR ARCHIBALD PRIMROSE of Dunipace,[172] to his sister, etc.
[172] He was son of George Foulis of the Ravelston family, who, on inheriting the estate of Dunipace from his grandfather, assumed the name of Primrose in terms of the entail. Taken in the north of Scotland he was first imprisoned in Aberdeen, thence sent to Carlisle, where he was tried, and pleading guilty, was sentenced to death, and executed there on 15th November 1746.
MY DEAR SISTER,--I have endeavoured to take some small time, from a much more immediate concern, to offer you a few lines, and to let you know that this day I am to suffer, I think, for my religion, my prince, and my country. For each of these I wish I had a thousand lives to spend. The shortness of the intimation will not allow me much time to write to you so fully in my vindication for what I did that I know concerns you. But I heartily repent of the bad advice I got even from men of judgment and sense. And what I did by their advice in my own opinion was no more than acknowledging I bore arms against the present government, for my lawful, undoubted prince, my religion, and country; and I thought by my plea to procure some time longer life only to do service to my poor [Sidenote: _fol._ 385.] family, not doubting but yet in a short time that glorious cause will succeed, which God of His infinite mercy grant.
I repent most heartily for what I did, and I merit this death as my punishment, and I trust in the Almighty for mercy to my poor soul. As I am very soon to leave this world, I pray God to forgive all my enemies, particularly Mr. Gray,[173] who did me all the injury he could by suborning witnesses, and threatening some which was my terror. Particularly there is one poor man[174] to suffer with me that had an offer of his life to be an evidence against me, which he rejected.
[173] William Gray, commonly called Duntie Gray, foreman to Lord Shualton.--(F.)