“ For a time Montrose retired, perforce, from public life. After the Civil War began in England (see Great Rebellion) he constantly pressed Charles to allow him to make a diversion in Scotland. Hamilton’s impracticable policy of keeping Scotland neutral for long stood in the way of Charles’s consent. But in 1644, when a Scottish army entered England to take part against the king, Montrose, now created a marquess, was at last allowed to try what he could do. He set out to invade Scotland with about 1000 men. ”

“ At Tippermuir and Aberdeen he routed Covenanting levies; at Inverlochy he crushed the Campbells, at Auldearn, Alford and Kilsyth his victories were obtained over well-led and disciplined armies. At Dundee he extricated his army from the greatest peril, and actually called his men off from the sack that had begun–a feat beyond the power of any other general in Europe. ”

“ After the invasion had been crowned with success, Montrose still continued to cherish his now hopeless policy. On the 27th of May 1641 he was summoned before the Committee of Estates charged with intrigues against Argyll, and on the 11th of June he was imprisoned in Edinburgh Castle. When Charles visited Scotland to give his formal assent to the abolition of Episcopacy, Montrose communicated to him his belief that Hamilton was a traitor. It had indeed been alleged, on Clarendon’s authority, that he proposed to murder Hamilton and Argyll ”