with, and pursuit of the enemy; but when he and some others were pursuing the enemy, others flew too greedily upon the spoil, small as it was, instead of pursuing the victory:  and some, without Mr Hamilton’s knowledge, and against his strict command, gave five of these bloody enemies quarters, and then let them go:  this greatly grieved Mr Hamilton, when he saw some of Babel’s brats spared, after the Lord had delivered them to their hands, that they might dash them against the stones.” Psalm cxxxvii. 9.  In his own account of this, “he reckons the sparing of these enemies, and letting them go, to be among their first stepping aside; for which, he feared that the Lord would not honour them to do much more for him; and says, that he was neither for taking favours from, nor giving favours to the Lord’s enemies.”  Burly was not a likely man to fall into this sort of backsliding.  He disarmed one of the duke of Hamilton’s servants, who had been in the action, and desired him to tell his master, he would keep, till meeting, the pistols he had taken from him.  The man described Burly to the duke as a little stout man, squint-eyed, and of a most ferocious aspect; from which it appears, that Burly’s figure corresponded to his manners, and perhaps gave rise to his nickname, Burly signifying strong.  He was with the insurgents till the battle of Bothwell Bridge, and afterwards fled to Holland.  He joined the prince of Orange, but died at sea, during the expedition.  The Cameronians still believe, he had obtained liberty from the prince to be avenged of those who had persecuted the Lord’s people; but through his death, the laudable design of purging the land with their blood, is supposed to have fallen to the ground.—­Life of Balfour of Kinloch.

The consequences of the battle of Loudon Hill will be detailed in the introduction to the next ballad.

THE BATTLE OF LOUDONHILL.

  You’l marvel when I tell ye o’
   Our noble Burly, and his train;
  When last he march’d up thro’ the land,
   Wi’ sax and twenty westland men.

  Than they I ne’er o’ braver heard,
   For they had a’ baith wit and skill
  They proved right well, as I heard tell,
   As they cam up o’er Loudoun Hill.

  Weel prosper a’ the gospel lads,
   That are into the west countrie;
  Ay wicked Claver’se to demean,
   And ay an ill dead may he die!

  For he’s drawn up i’ battle rank,
   An’ that baith soon an’ hastilie;
  But they wha live till simmer come,
   Some bludie days for this will see.

  But up spak cruel Claver’se then,
   Wi’ hastie wit, an’ wicked skill;
  “Gie fire on yon westlan’ men;
   “I think it is my sov’reign’s will.”

  But up bespake his cornet, then,
   “It’s be wi’ nae consent o’ me! 
  “I ken I’ll ne’er come back again,
   “An’ mony mae as weel as me.