to seek my soul's comfort and encouragement from them, yet I
have no cause to complain of hard dealing from thy hand, seeing it is
thy ordinary way with some of thy people, Psalm xlii. 6. _O God, my soul
is cast down in me, from the land of Jordan and the hill Hermon_, &c.
Yea, though last, he brought me to the banquetting house, and made love
his banner over me, among the cold highland hills beside Kippen Nov.
1673. He remembered his former loving kindness towards me; but withal he
spoke in mine ear, that there was a tempestuous storm to meet me in the
face, which I behoved to go through, in the strength of that provision,
1 Kings xix. 7." Then, after the reciting of several scriptures, as
comforting to him in his sufferings, he comes at last to conclude with
these words, "And seeing I have not preferred nor sought after mine own
things, but thy honour and glory, the good liberty and safety of thy
church and people; although it be now misconstructed by many, yet I hope
that thou, Lord, wilt make thy light to break forth as the morning, and
my righteousness as the noon-day and that shame and darkness shall cover
all who are enemies to my righteous cause: For thou, O Lord, art the
shield of my head, and sword of my excellency; and mine enemies shall be
found liars, and shall be subdued. Amen, yea and Amen.

_Sic subscribitur_, JAMES MITCHEL."

Accordingly, upon the 18th of Jan. he was taken to the grass-market of
Edinburgh, and the sentence put in execution. In the morning he
delivered some copies of what he had to say, if permitted, at his death;
but not having liberty to deliver this part of his vindicatory speech to
the people, he threw it over the scaffold, the substance of which was as
follows.

"_Christian people_,

"It being rumoured abroad, immediately after I received my sentence,
that I would not have liberty to speak in this place, I have not
troubled myself to prepare any formal discourse, on account of the
pretended crime for which I am accused and sentenced; neither did I
think it very necessary, the same of the process having gone so much
abroad, what by a former indictment given me near four years ago, the
diet of which was suffered to desert, in respect the late advocate could
not find a just way to reach me with the extra-judicial confession they
opponed to me; all knew he was zealous in it, yet my charity to him is
such, that he would not suffer that unwarrantable zeal so far to blind
him, as to ov