Fortunately, most of the new officers had not yet come to their posts, and the old ones were still available.

But the regiments, or parts of regiments, in all their dispersed stations, at Edinburgh, Leith, Dalkeith.

Stirling, Perth, Glasgow, Dundee, Aberdeen, Ayr, Inverness, and the remoter Highland outposts, had to be manipulated, weeded of oppositionists, and pulled gradually together; and, as it turned out, there were about 140 oppositionists among Monk's own approved officers of all ranks.

To get rid of these, and otherwise to shape the Army to his mind, would take six weeks at least.

Then, as he told Clarges, he should be ready.