REBELLION OF MONMOUTH 
24” 
Francis’s door, and he was hanged for murder, Even men 
of irreproachable lives did not escape persecution. Richard 
Baxter, the most learned and most moderate of the Noncon- 
formists, and a man of unblemished character and spotless 
reputation, was fined and imprisoned by Chief Justice Jeffreys 
for complaining about the persecution of Dissenters in a 
work he had written called “ A Paraphrase of the New 
Testament.” 
Norz.—"The Persecution of the Covenanters. The fiery perse- 
eution of the Covenanters, which had raged in Scotland during 
ihe time James had been Viceroy, waxed hotter now that he was 
King. An Act was passed, by which 411 who preached at indoor 
conventicles, and all who were present at open-alr conventicles 
were to be punished with death. Graham of Claverhouse made 
himself notorious in hunting down and brutally punishing the 
wretched Covenanters, Among the many instances of his 
atrocious eruelty may be mentioned that of Margaret Wilson, 8 
young girl, who was tied to a stake in the Solway Firth, A 
drowned by the rising tide. While she was in the agony 0 
death, the officer in charge asked her if she would abjure the 
Covenant, “ Never,” she replied, ‘‘ T am Christ’s, let me go,” and 
3907 tha waters elosed over her. 
3. 
The Rebellion of Argyll and Monmouth, 1685. 
Although James II. had so peacefully succeeded to the 
throne, the more desperate of the exiled Whigs in Holland 
were determined not to abandon their cause without a 
struggle. Deceived by a Scotchman named Robert 
Fergusson, and misled by promises of help in England, they 
imagined that all England would rise to dethrone a Roman 
Catholic king, if only a Protestant leader should present 
himself. Accordingly they planned a two-fold invasion in 
favour of the Protestant Duke Monmouth. 
The first expedition was led by the Earl of Argyll, and 
was destined for Scotland, where it was hoped that the 
Scottish Covenanters, disgusted with the tyranny of the 
Government, would readily rally round his standard, The 
second expedition was entrusted to Monmouth himself, who 
was to land in the West of England, where he was known 
to be very popular, and the Whig element very strong. To 
preserve some unity in the two-fold expedition, it was 
arranged that Rumbold should accompany Argyll, and 
Fergusson of the Scottish party should be attached to