IV. EXTEACTS FROM THE PEESBYTBRY EECORDS OF DALKEITH, RELATING TO THE PARISH OF NEWBATTLE, DURING THE IN- CUMBENC ROBERR M F YO T LEIGHTON, 1641-1663. COMMUNICATED BY THE REV. THOMAS GORDON, MINISTEE OF NEWBATTLE. WITH SOME INTRODUCTORY REMARKS BY DAVID LAING, ESQ., V.P. y attempAn o discovet t factw ne rs regardin a persoe liff th o ge n o wels l o justlknows d ynan admire s ARCHBISHOa d P LEIOHTON, might seem to be hopeless. Yet the earlier part of his history remains very obscure, and, in particular, his connexion with the Presbyterian Church durin e Covenane timegth th f o s almoss ha t t been wholly overlookeds a , perhaps s admirersomhi f eo s could wish t shouli . Anythingdbe , how- ever, tendin illustrato gt e characteeth cannon f suco ma r ha e t b fai o t l interesting. For this purpose I had intended to form a small collection of Leighton's unpublished letters, writte t variouna s period lifes t finhi bu d, f sthao I t have been forestalled, partly by some communications which have lately appeared in " Notes and Queries," from the Eev. C. F. Secretan, Besborough Gardens, Westminster, who has brought together fifteen such unpublished letters, chiefly from the Lauderdale Correspondence, now Britise inth h Museum. The extracts from the presbytery books of Dalkeith, which I have now befory t ola e Society th e , were obligingly communicate e Eevth .y b d THOMAS GORDON, minister of Newbattle. They furnish a number of minute notices regarding the period of Leighton's career, not much knowEngliss hi o t nh biographers e ministeth s , whef thawa o r e th n paris thed h an ;y server GordoM s remarkes a , nha s lettehi n dri accom- panying the extracts, to correct various mistakes into which Bishop Burnet falles misleha d nan d later writers followine Th . a brie s gi f summary of his life:— 0 46 PROCEEDING SOCIETE TH F F SO YO EOBKR f Alexandeo Tn LEIGHTOso e th r s LeightonNwa , docto f medio r - cine, and was born in the year 1611. The place of his birth has not been ascertained. Eobert was educated at Edinburgh, having entered the university in the winter of 1627, under Mr Eobert Eanken, one of the regents, and he took his degree of Master of Arts 23d of July 1631. Durin attendancs ghi incurree eh d some academic censur referencn ei e to a juvenile jeu d'esprit, which has been aggravated into his expulsion from the College. In the State Paper Office, London, a few years ago, before any printed Calendars were known, I met with a letter written by him to his Father explanatory of the circumstance, which is too interest- ing in his early history to be disregarded. The letter itself is one of those printed in "Notes and Queries" last February; but from the writing being very illegible , e wordsomth e therf ar so e e inaccurately deciphered. I only quote the chief part of it:— addresses i t I d "T kin lovins d ohi dan g father, Mr Alexander Leighton, f Pudlo D'Medecinef p o to e s e Hillhoushi th t n , a eo ,besid e eth Blacke Friars Gate, nea Kingee th r s Wardrobe there, London :— " Sir, " The buisines1 that fell out with me, which I cannot without sorrow relate that such a thing should have fallen out, yet having some hope exhorw yo s t a repo me—it t t i ef gooo t I thussay,s dou wa , . Thers ewa figha t between e Semies Classr th ou d e ean , which mad Provose eth o t t restraine us from the play a good while; the boyes upon that made some n everi o ytw classeversesr o e ,on , mockin Provost'e th g d nose, re sI . sitting besid Lory m e d Borundell e Ear th f Ha[dington's o ld an 2 ] son,3 speaking about these verses which the boyes had made, spoke a thing prosn i e concernin f spito r wantint efo ou s nose e t hi gplay th gno , , neither having taken notice of his nose, but out of their report, for I 1 " Cathekinges," in the first part of this letter, which Mr Secretan queries, was James Cathkin, bookseller in Edinburgh: See Bannatyne Miscellany, vol. ii. p. 249. 2 John, Maste f Berrieclaleo r , predecease s grandfathedhi n so s 1639n hi i rt bu ; George succeeded to the Earldom of Caithness in 1644. This was Robert Hamilton, the youngest son of Thomaa, Earl of Haddington, 3 by his third wife. ANTIQUARIES OF SCOTLAND. 461 never saw [him] before but once, neither thought I him to be a man of great state. Thi snames I spok presentlyhi d f eo an , , upon their request, turned it into a verse thus : ' That whic names hhi 1 importe nams falsels ai Hi s ei y sad, okee Thath f no twoo heas dhi mades di , Okenhead. For why, if it had bein composed so, His flaming nose had fir'd it long ago.' " The Verses of Apology not onely for myselfe but for the rest1 yow have in that paper. I hope the Lord shal bring good out of it to me. As for the Primare2 and Regents, to say the trueth, they thought it not so hainous a thing as I my selfe did justly thinke it. Pray for me as I know you doe, tha keepe Lory th froe t dma m em like fals I hav f i ; e either Christianit r naturalityyo forge t o wilt i t ,suffe e I no l m ts r a yow t bu , am abl remembeo et stilendeavouo w t Godo t ld yo r an ; r tha wayey m t s greive not G-od and yow my deare Parentes, the desire of my heart is to be as litle chargeable as may be. Now desireing the Lord to keepe yow, I rest, ever endeavourin beo gt , " Your obedient Son, " EGBERT LEIGHTON. " praI y yow, Sir, remembe humbly m r e motherduety m lovino y t m , g brethre sistersd nan : remembe freindesy m duetl y al m r .o yt " EDENBKOUGH, Ma , 1628.y6 " This letter supplies the exact date, and shows it was during the first s attendanchi yea f o re college th e civi t ea Th c. dignitar whoo t y m allusio s madni Davis ewa d Aikenhead choses wa o n provos,wh f Edino t - burgh no less than ten times betwixt the years 1619 and 1636. The Palinode or Apology in reference to these lines he here acknowledges ; and it might he shown that Leighton, in his younger days, evinced a disposition to satire, having written one or more copies of sarcastic verses agains Scottise th t h bishop time.e th f s3o 1 Evidently the rest of the Class. 2 Primare, primarwt, principal. Piecee 3Se Scottisf so h Fugitive Poetry. Second Series. Edinb. 1853, post 8vo. It includes Leighton 'a Apology; which is also contained in Maidment's " Analecta Scotica." 462 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY OF Two letters, addressed by Leighton to his mother in 1629, which make mentio s aunt hi brother s f nhi ,o s Jame Elishad san othe d an , r relations of whom little or nothing is known,1 are also preserved in the State Paper Office. These, with the former one, had been found among his father's papers, which were seize Archbishoy b d p Laud, whe r LeightoD n s nwa apprehended d experiencean , tendee dth r mercie Star-Chambere th f so , for writin "s Zion'ghi s Plea agains Prelacy,e th t well-know"a n volume, printed anonymousl Hollandn yi 1628n i , . Having been trie cond dan - victed 1630n i , e authoth , f thio r senduro t wor t d onlha no key many long years of imprisonment, but the most cruel punishment, consisting in his being whipped—standing in the pillory—his cheeks branded with hot irons wit e letter . th (sowerhS . sS f sedition)—havin-o s eart ghi cu s off—hi sf £10,00o nos m e su slit 0fined a an ,sterlingn i d confined an , d for life in the Fleet Prison. His case was brought before the English Parliamen n 1640i t liberateds , whewa e survivee nh H . d til vera l y advanced age sons morn hi ;o , e tha occasione non leare w ns a ,fro e mth following extracts, having gone to England to visit him in his latter days. Dr Leighton appears to have died in the year 1649. After Eohert Leighton lefuniversitye th t spene h , t some e yearth n so Continent, chiefl Francen yi visitind an , g some relation resideo swh n di returs Douayhi n Scotlando nt O . , Presbyter beed yha n re-established, licenses wa preachea an e s dh e dPresbytera th y rb f Edinburghyo A . vacancy having occurre e paristh f n Jfewbattlhi do e summeth n i ef o r 1641, when Mr Andrew Cant was translated to Aberdeen, Leighton obtaine presentatioda n fro patrone mth , William, Ear Lothianf o l . GORDON'r M n I S extracts, tak whic, Leightow eup no hI n first appears monte th n f Juli ho y 1641, when probationera s a , s employewa e h , o dt " add expoundr o " alsd deliveo an ot , s triahi r l discourses before th e Presbytery, having brought the usual testimonial of his qualifications from Edinburgh, on the 29th of July that year.