36

HISTOKY 03? ENGLAND.

CITAP.

XIII.

1689 .

But, though the numerical strength of Cannon’s forces wasincreasing, their efficiency was diminishing. Every new tribewhich joined the camp brought with it some new cause of dis-sension. In the hour of peril, the most arrogant and mutinousspirits will often submit to the guidance of superior genius.Yet, even in the hour of peril, and even to the genius ofDundee, the Celtic chiefs had yielded but a precarious and im-perfect obedience. To restrain them, when intoxicated withsuccess and confident of their strength, would probably havebeen too hard a task even for him, as it had been, in the pre-ceding generation, too hard a task for Montrose. The newgeneral did nothing but hesitate and blunder. One of his firstacts was to send a large body of men, chiefly Robertsons, downinto the low country for the purpose of collecting provisions.He seems to have supposed that this detachment would withoutdifficulty occupy Perth. But Mackay had already restored orderamong the remains of his army: he had assembled round himsome troops which had not shared in the disgrace of the latedefeat; and he was again ready for action. Cruel as his suffer-ings had been, he had wisely and magnanimously resolved notto punish what was past. To distinguish between degreesof guilt was not easy. To decimate the guilty would have beento commit a frightful massacre. His habitual piety too led himto consider the unexampled panic which had seized his soldiersas a proof rather of the divine displeasure than of theircowardice. He acknowledged with heroic humility that thesingular firmness which he had himself displayed in the midstof the confusion and havoc was not his own, and that he mightwell, hut for the support of a higher power, have behaved aspusillanimously as any of the wretched runaways who had

this history he is represented as having joined before the battle of Killie-crankie. But it appears from the evidence which is in the Appendix to theAct. Pari. Scot, of July 14. 1690, that he came in on the following day.