Montrose spent the night at Selkirk in
preparing despatches for the king; Leslie, who was concealed at no great
distance, crossing the Etrick at dawn, under cover of a dense fog,
charged[b] unexpectedly into the camp of the royalists, who lay in heedless
security on the Haugh. Their leader, with his guard of horse, flew to their
succour; but, after a chivalrous but fruitless effort was compelled
to retire and abandon them to their fate. The greater part had formed
themselves into a compact body, and kept the enemy at bay till their offer
of surrender upon terms had been accepted. But then the ministers loudly
demanded their lives; they pronounced the capitulation sinful, and
therefore void; and had the satisfaction to behold the whole body of
captives massacred in
[Sidenote a: A.D. 1645. Sept. 6.]
[Sidenote b: A.D. 1645. Sept. 13.]
cold blood, not the men only, but also every woman and child found upon the
Haugh. Nor was this sacrifice sufficient. Forty females, who had made their
escape, and had been secured by the country people, were a few days later
delivered up to the victors, who, in obedience to the decision of the kirk,
put them to death by throwing them from the bridge near Linlithgow into
the river Avon. Afterwards the Scottish parliament approved of their
barbarities, on the pretence that the victims were papists from Ireland;
and passed an ordinance that the "Irische prisoners taken at and after
Philiphaughe, in all the prisons in the kingdom, should be _execut_ without
any assaye or processes conform to the treatey betwixt both kingdoms.
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