first they had the intention of cutting off his retreat, but on second thoughts it was resolved to march southward into the low country in the hope of seizing Edinburgh before Cope should return. Cope now recognised the necessity of occupying his former position at Stirling, but without reinforcements of highlanders, which he found it impossible to procure, could not dare to retreat by land. He accordingly sent news of his predicament to the authorities in Edinburgh, and transports were sent to bring his troops back by sea from Aberdeen, but while they were landing at Dunbar the rebels had taken possession of Edinburgh. On news reaching the rebels that Cope was marching to its relief, they boldly resolved to meet him in the open. On 20 Sept. both armies, nearly equal in strength, came in sight of one another at Prestonpans, upon which Cope resolved to take up a strong but cramped position, with his front to Prestonpans and his right to the sea, a boggy morass about half a mile in breadth stretching between the two armies. As night was approaching the troops on both sides resolved to defer the conflict till the morrow, but one of the rebels from Edinburgh, who was thoroughly acquainted with the ground, having undertaken to point out a ford where the morass could be easily crossed, Charles and his officers resolved to cross over in the darkness, and make their attack just as day began to break. The ruse was completely successful, for such was the impetuous rush of the highlanders that the troops of Cope, half awake and utterly bewildered, could make no effective resistance, and in a few minutes were in headlong flight. Only one round of ammunition was fired, and not one bayonet was stained with blood. Few except the cavalry made good their escape, the whole of the infantry being either killed or taken prisoners. The ludicrous part played by Cope is ridiculed in the well-known song ‘Hey, Johnnie Cope! are ye waukin yet?’ A council of officers was appointed to inquire into his conduct, but they unanimously absolved him from all blame, their decision being that he ‘did his duty as an officer, both before and after the action; and his personal behaviour was without reproach; and that the misfortune on the day of action was owing to the shameful behaviour of the private men, and not to any misconduct or misbehaviour of Sir John Cope or any of the officers under his command.’ In 1751 he was placed on the staff in Ireland. He died 28 July 1760 (Scots Mag. xxii. 387).
[Report of the Proceedings and Opinions of the Board of General Officers on their Examination into the conduct, behaviour, and proceedings of Sir John Cope, knight of the Bath, 1749; Culloden Papers; Lockhart's Memoirs; Gent. Mag. xv. 443, xvi. 593, xix. 51–60; Georgian Era, ii. 48; Chambers's History of the Rebellion; Hill Burton's History of Scotland; Ewald's Life and Times of Prince Charles Stuart (1876); Cope's Letters to Lord Strafford, 1707–11, Add. MS. 22231; Letters to Lord Strafford, 1707–24, Add. MSS. 31134, 31135, 31141; Cope's opinion in favour of a march into Germany, Add. MS. 22537.]
COPE, MICHAEL (fl. 1557), protestant author, fled from England to escape persecution in the reign of Mary, and took refuge in Geneva, where he preached much in French. He was the author of ‘A faithful and familiar Exposition of Ecclesiastes,’ written in French, Geneva, 1557, 4to, with corrections, 1563; and ‘An Exposition upon fyrste chap. of ye prouerbis of Salomon by Mygchell Coope,’ which Luke Harrison received license to print in 1564.
[Wood's Athenæ Oxon. (Bliss), i. 192; Tanner's Bibl. Brit. 199; Ames's Typogr. Antiq. (Herbert), 929.]
COPE, RICHARD (1776–1856), author and divine, was born near Craven Chapel, Regent Street, London, on 23 Aug. 1776. When less than twelve years old he entered upon business life; but it proved uncongenial to his disposition, and he became a student at the Theological College, Hoxton, in March 1798. After remaining in that institution for more than two years, he received an invitation from the independent congregation at Launceston in Cornwall. He preached his first sermon there (28 June 1800), remained on trial for twelve months, was ordained in the church on 21 Oct. 1801, and remained in that position until 24 June 1820, having for the previous twenty years kept with great success a boarding school, which was attended by the sons of dissenters throughout the county. From 1820 to 1822 he filled the post of tutor in the Irish Evangelical College, Manor Street, Dublin; but the appointment afforded him but slight satisfaction, and he eagerly withdrew. After this brief change of occupation, Cope returned to preaching. He was minister of Salem Chapel, Wakefield, from 1822 to 1829; of Quebec Chapel, Abergavenny, from 1829 to 1836; and of New Street Independent Chapel at Penryn, in his old county of Cornwall, from April 1836 until his death. He died at Penryn on 26 Oct. 1856, and was buried on 31 Oct. He married Miss Davies at St. James's Church, Piccadilly, on 30 June 1801. The degree of M.A. was conferred upon him at Marischal College, Aberdeen, on 12 March 1819, and he
