ing that the Gordons had taken up arms, they adjourned the meeting to Turriff on the 26th, hoping for support from Caithness and the other more northern districts. On the 24th they, however, met at Kintore and decided to proceed to Aberdeen. There they arrived next day with a force in all of about three thousand, when the Earl Marischal, having seized the keys of the city, assumed the functions of governor. Meantime, on the 26th, a number of the covenanting gentry from the north had assembled at Turriff, and not finding the Earl Marischal had dissolved their forces (ib. p. 175). Hesitating to take any active steps against the Gordons, the Earl Marischal and the other noblemen in Aberdeen now adjourned the committee meeting to Turriff on 20 May, and the earl retired to his stronghold of Dunnottar (ib. p. 175). About two thousand covenanters assembled there in readiness for the meeting at Turriff as early as the 13th. Marischal was still absent when, early on the morning of the 14th, they were surprised and routed by a strong force of the Gordons. ‘This,’ says Gordon, ‘was known afterwards commonly by the name of the Trott of Turriff in derision’ (Scots Affairs, ii. 259; also Spalding, i. 186). Learning that Marischal was raising a force against them, the Gordons on 17 May sent two commissioners to sound his intentions (Spalding, i. 189). Marischal temporised, and replied to two other intending peacemakers ‘that for himself he was Huntly's friend, and would do no wrong to any of his followers further than his faith to the covenant obliged him’ (ib. p. 189; Gordon, ii. 261). The Gordons understood that he would remain quiet so long as they refrained from attacking him or his dependents. They therefore dispersed their forces on 20 May, their principal leaders with about thirty horse retiring to Aberdeen. On learning this Marischal collected suddenly about eight hundred horse and foot with the intention of surprising them. They escaped, but Marischal entered the city again, took possession of the keys, and quartered his men ‘through the haill houses therof.’ On the next day the forces of Marischal were reinforced by two thousand men, and on the 25th Montrose arrived from the south with about four thousand men and horse. Montrose soon afterwards marched into the Mearns, and Marischal retired to Dunnottar. Learning that Lord Aboyne with a strong royalist force had set out on 14 June for Stonehaven, Marischal brought some of the ordnance out of his castle, and with two thousand men posted himself so as to bar Aboyne's march south. As Aboyne's forces descended next day the Meagre Hill, Marischal's cannon began suddenly to play on them, when the highlanders at once fled, and Aboyne found it necessary to retire to Aberdeen. Montrose and Marischal now resolved to return to Aberdeen, while Aboyne met them in a position at the Bridge of Dee. On 19 June the attack on it was maintained without decisive result for the whole day, but on the 20th Montrose induced the defenders to withdraw troops by a feint of crossing at an impassable ford, and the bridge was carried (Spalding, i. 208–11; Gordon, ii. 275–80). The same night news reached Aberdeen of the pacification of Berwick, and all acts of hostility between the two parties at once ceased.
At the opening of parliament in Edinburgh in the following August, Marischal discharged his accustomed official functions (Balfour, ii. 359). At this parliament he was chosen a lord of the articles (ib. p. 360). On 2 March 1640 Marischal and Lord Fraser entered Aberdeen, and took measures for securing the subscription of the covenant. Marischal also destroyed a bond of allegiance to the king, signed by Lord Aboyne and the town of Aberdeen (Spalding, i. 253). While awaiting the arrival of Monro, the covenanting general, he made preparations for defence. His mother's efforts at this time to reclaim him to the king's party were defeated by the influence of his cousin Argyll (Gordon, iii. 160). On 5 May Marischal entered Aberdeen, enforced the signature of the covenant, and extorted by threats a sum of about six thousand merks from the magistrates (ib.) On the 23rd he appointed a nightly watch, and closed the ports (Spalding, i. 272). On the 28th he entered the city along with General Monro, escorted by a hundred musketeers and pikemen from the Bridge of Dee (ib. p. 277). On 2 June they marched out together to besiege the castle of Drum, but before it surrendered Marischal, leaving Monro there, went to Dunnottar (ib. p. 281). On the 5th he and Monro again entered Aberdeen with a strong force, but vacated it on the 13th, after extorting a heavy fine. Marischal then disbanded his forces (ib. p. 288), and shortly afterwards proceeded south to attend the meeting of parliament in Edinburgh. On 2 July he returned to Aberdeen (ib. p. 295), and shortly afterwards accompanied Monro on a raid to Strathbogie. They felled the finest trees in the policies to provide huts, obtained the keys of the castle from the Marchioness of Huntly, and began to ‘bake, brew, and mak reddie good cheer’ (ib. p. 298). Huntly and his sons being absent, Marischal induced most of the gentry to undertake ser-
