THE Scotish Inquisition; OR, A Short Account of the Proceedings OF THE Scotish Privy-Counsel, Justiciary Court, and those Commissionated by them, whereby the Consciences of good Men have been Tortured, the Peace of the Nation these several Years past exceedingly Disturbed, and Multitudes of Innocent People cruelly Oppressed, and inhumanly Murdered.  
IN the Tract of these years, altho' Informing was a Trade more encouraged than in the Reign of Tiberius, yet they Arraigned multitudes without Informer or Accuser; and whoever appeared not upon their Summar Citation( which oftentimes was impossible) were treated as Criminals.  
They seized many of all Ranks, and detained then months, and years, without any signification of the cause of their Imprisonment; and seldom Liberate any such without Exorbitant Bail: but if they could find the least shadow to prosecute any suspected to mislike their Arbitrary courses, they precipitated their Process, not allowing them time or means to vindicate their Innocency.  
They sent their Inquisitors through their Prisons and Citizens houses, to examine whom they pleased, upon most intricate Questions of Church and State-government, and made their refusing to answer, or dissatisfactory answers, the foundation of their Indictments; others seized in the Crowd at Executions, and some when visiting the imprisoned, were Condemned and Executed, for refusing to justify their Severities against their Brethren, and disowning their Dagon of Non-resistance.  
They frequently sent out Spies to Prisons, Cities and Country, under disguise, who by simulating their dissatisfaction at the Exorbitances of the Government, and Zeal for persecuted P●ety, might draw words from the most wary, sustaining such and other Informers as habil Witnesses to the taking away the Lives of many Innocents, notwithstanding of one Express Act of Parliament to the contrary.  
They often prosecuted without a Libel; and when they formed Libels, they seldom restricted themselves to the points therein contained, holding them, as confessed who refused to answer their captions and Extranious Questions.  
They not only employed Emissaries, but Judges themselves were active to suborn Witnesses against the Lives, Estates and Honours of Peers and worthy Patriots( a palpably gross management of such an Intrigue, having qualified a person for a chief Seat in their High Court of Justice) and when they could not find such Execrable Ruffians to serve their turns, they forced Pannals to answer de supper Inquirendis, in the most Criminal cases. They have often sustained Jurors and Witnesses, who could not purge themselves of prejudice or partial Counsel.  
They have Indicted, tried, Condemned and Executed persons in one day; and when Intercession hath been made for some time to prepare for Death, it hath been answered, They shall have no time to prepare for Heaven, Hell is too good for them. They have kept some in expectation of Reprieves and Pordons, till the very day and hour of their Execution; others they have hanged early in the morning, thereby preventing the peoples seeing their Cruelty, and hearing, the dying persons last words, and too palpably designing by such surprisals the ruin of their Souls. They frequently beat Drums about the Scaffolds, their Cause being such as could not bear the words of dying Christians. They preached several, when removing them from the Prison to the Scaffold, seized their Testimonies, that so they might not come to public.  
They would have their Laws to reach Thoughts as well as Actions, and many against whom they could charge no matter of fact, they sought to reach their Lives for their Thoughts, asking them, What think you of the Government, & c? Some they have wheedled to confession, by promising to favour their Ingenuity, upbraiding them for dissemblers if they would not speak freely, and by mock-expostulations; viz. Are ye ashamed of your Principles? Are ye afraid to give a Testimony, & c? and forced them to subscribe their Confessions before the Council, which they produced as Witness against them at the Criminal Court, whereupon they were Sentenced and Executed.  
When any refused to give Categorical Answers, then could they extort all by Torture, with their Engines of Cruelty, the Boots, fired Matches betwixt the Fingers, and Thumbkins, and after torturing hanged several, tho' thereby they could extort nothing.  
When some had answered all their Questions, and cleared themselves of all charged against them, yet would they not pass them so, but impose some of their wicked Oaths, which they concluded they would not take, and according to the measure of tenderness they discovered in any, they apportioned the Oaths; to the stricter the more smooth; to the l●xer the more harsh; such as once their own natural Consciences did scar at.  
They required not only to have their Laws obeied, but subscribed also, holding it not sufficient that people transgress them not, but likewise own the justice of them, and the lawfulness of the Authority Enacting them, and swear to maintain them, and yet when some have complied to all they sought, yet would they not discharge them, but upon Bond to answer again when called.  
Not only Extrajudicial Confession will sustain with them, but when they have given the public Faith, the King's Security, the Act and Oath of Council, that such Confessions should not militate, yet they have brought it in as Evidence, and given it upon Oath, when their former Act and Oath was produced in open Court in demonstration of their Perjury.  
They used frequently to pack Juries, picking out such as they thought any thing tender, and not bloody enough, and sometimes Listed some who they concluded would not concur, that thereupon they might get occasion to exact their Fines.  
Sometimes when the Jury hath brought in their Verdict in favour of the Pannal, they have made them return and resume the Cognition of the Process again, and threatened them with an Assize of Error if they did not bring him in Guilty, yea frequently the Advocate threatened them under most peremptory Certifications if they found not the Impannalled Guilty; so that their using Juries was but for the Fashion.  
They have Sentenced innocent Persons twice, once to have their Ears cut off and Banished, and after the lopping off their Ears, they have reexamined them, and Sentenced them to death.  
They used to stage several together, of whom they knew some would comply, to tantalise others with the sight of their Liberty, thereby tempting them to bite more eagerly at their ●naring Bai●s, to wound the Conscience.  
They have not only Murdered many innocent Christians in taking their Lives, but also endeavoured to Murder their Reputation and the Cause they owned, loading it with most reproachful Epithets, which was their peculiar policy, to bring the Heads of Suffering to points most obnoxious to common Censer, ●●d most extrinsic to Religion, cutting off the ●●ithful Professors of Religion, and true Lovers of Liberty, under the odium of Enemies to Government.  
Some they Arraigned whom they could neither reach by adducing many Witnesses against in trial, nor by their Examination with their cruel Torture of the Boots, yet hath had their whole Estate seized, and also been sent to Prison in a Rock within the Sea, without being Convicted of any Crime.  
They finding their means and motions under colour of Law, and Trals were too slow and troublesome to acquire y their designed Cruelties, and that the public Executions tended more to confirm and multiply the Lovers of Religion and Liberty, than to diminish and deter, took a more compendious way of sending out their cannoners empowered to Challenge and Examine whom they pleased, and to tender Oaths required by no Law, and to punish such by present death who refused to Swear, or scrupled to Answer their ensnaring Questions, which bloody Commissions were so faithfully Executed, that within few Weeks above Fifty innocent Persons were cruelly Murdered in could Blood, without either trial or Conviction, or respect to Age or Sex.  
Although the multitudes of Families ruined by Exorbitant Finings, Forfeitures, Banishments, Imprisonments, Free-quarterings and Plunderings of Souldiers, and Batbarities of their Highland Host: the many cruel Edicts and Proclamations they have published, the unlawful Bonds, and wicked self-contradicting Oaths imposed and pressed, the many Exactions whereby they have impoverished the Country, the many open Oppressions, horrid Tortures and Cruelties practised upon Innocents, the multitudes of Persons Male and Female, whom they have Murdered, Persecuted, Oppressed and Destroyed, are so many and various that they cannot be Collected: Yet some have been at no small pains to gather as much of these, as when published in a Martyrology of these times,( which is purposed to be done with all convenient speed) will give the World to know as well the Faithfulness, Patience, Courage and Constancy of these who suffered, together with the Equity of their Cause, as the Inhumanity, Illegallity and Severity of their Cruel and Bloody Persecutors.   

LONDON, Printed, and are to Sold by Richard Janeway in Queens-Head-Ally in Pater-Noster-Row. 1689.