w
Dornock ever uttered from the pulpit was, when he first rose to speak
therein, and which was caused by a spider, that just at the moment
lowered itself down into his mouth: "O Lord," cried the curate, "we're
puzhened wi' speeders!"

CHAPTER XLVIII

It might have been thought, considering the poor hand which the prelatic
curates made of it in their endeavours to preach, that they would have
set themselves down content with the stipend, and allowed the flocks to
follow their own shepherds in peace; but their hearts were filled with
the bitterness of envy at the sight of the multitudes that went forth to
gather the manna in the fields, and their malice was exasperated to a
wonderful pitch of wickedness by the derision and contempt with which
they found themselves regarded. No one among them all, however, felt
this envy and malice more stirring within him, than did the
arch-apostate James Sharp; for the faithfulness of so many ministers was
a terror and a reproach to his conscience and apostacy, and made him
labour with an exceeding zeal and animosity to extirpate so many
evidences of his own religious guilt. Accordingly, by his malignant
counsellings, edicts and decrees came out against our tabernacle in the
wilderness, and under the opprobrious name of conventicles, our holy
meetings were made prohibited offences, and our ministers subjected to
pains and penalties, as sowers of sedition.

It is a marvellous thing to think of the madness with which the minds of
those in authority at that time were kindled; first, to create causes of
wrong to the consciences of the people, and afterwards to enact laws for
the natural fruit of that frantic policy. The wanton imposition of the
prelatic oppression begat our field preachings, and the attempts to
disperse us by the sword brought on resistance. But it belongs not to me
and my story to treat of the folly of a race and government, upon whom a
curse was so manifestly pronounced; I shall therefore return from this
generality to those particulars wherein I was myself a witness or a
sufferer.

During the greater part of the year after the banishment of Mr Swinton
from the manse and kirk, we met with little molestation; but from time
to time rumours came over us like the first breathings of the cold
blasts in autumn, that forerun the storms of winter. All thoughts of
innocent pastimes and pleasures passed away, like the yellow leaves that
fall from the melancholy trees; a