Ringan Gilhaize, or, The Covenanters
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CHAPTER XX
It's far from my hand and intent to write a history of the tribulationswhich ensued from the day of the uproar and first outbreaking of thewrath of the people against the images of the Romish idolatry; andtherefore I shall proceed, with all expedient brevity, to relate whatfarther, in those sore times, fell under the eye of my grandfather, who,when he returned to Edinburgh, found the Lord James Stuart on the pointof proceeding to the Queen Regent at Stirling, and he went with himthither.
On arriving at the castle, they found the French soldiery all collectedin the town, and her Highness, like another fiery Bellona, vowing toavenge the calamities that had befallen the idols and images of Perth;and summoning and envoking the nobility, and every man of substance shecould think of, to come with their vassals, that she might be enabled tochastise such sacrilegious rebellion.
The Lord James Stuart seeing her so bent on extremities, and knowing byhis secret intelligences, that strong powers were ready to start forwardat a moment's warning, both in the West, and in Fife, Angus and Merns,entreated her to listen to more moderate councils than those of revengeand resentment, and rather to think of pacification than of punishment.But she was fiery with passion, and a blinded instrument in the hands ofProvidence to work out the deliverance of the land, even by the crookedpolicy that her papistical counsellors hurried her into. So that theLord James, seeing she was transported beyond reason, sent mygrandfather and other secret emissaries to warn the Lords and leaders ofthe Congregation, and to tell them that her Highness was minded tosurprise Perth as soon as she had gathered a sufficient array.
The conduct of that great worthy was in this full of wisdom, andforesight, and policy. By staying with the Queen he incurred thesuspicion of the Reformed, to whom he was a devoted friend; but hegained a knowledge of the intents of their enemies, by which he wasenabled to turn aside the edge of vengeance when it was meant to be mostdeadly. Accordingly, reckless of the opinions of men, he went forwardwith the Queen's army towards Perth; but before they had crossed theWater of Earn, word was brought to her Highness that the Earl ofGlencairn, at the head of two thousand five hundred of the Reformed, wasadvancing from the shire of Ayr.
Such were the fruits of my grandfather's mission to the Lord Boyd, andhe heard likewise that the bold and free lairds of Angus and Merns, withall their followers, had formed themselves in battle-array to defend thetown. Still, however, her Highness was resolute to go on; for she wasinstigated by her feminine anger, even as much as by the wicked councilsof the papist lords by whom she was surrounded.
But when she reached the heights that overlooked the sweet valley of theTay, whose green and gentle bosom was then sparkling with the glances ofwarlike steel, her heart was softened, and she called to her the LordJames Stuart and the young Earl of Argyle--the old Lord, his father, haddied some time prior,--and sent them to the army of the Congregation,that peace might still be preserved. They accordingly went into thetown, and sending notice to the leaders of the Reformed to appoint twoof their party to confer with them, John Knox and the Master Willockswere nominated. My grandfather, who attended the Lord James on thisoccasion, was directed by him to receive the two deputies at the doorand to conduct them in; and when they came he was much troubled toobserve the state of their minds; for Master Willocks was austere in hislooks as if resolved on quarrel, and the Reformer was agitated andangry, muttering to himself as he ascended the stairs, making his staffoften dirl on the steps. No sooner were they shown into the presence ofthe two lords, even before the door was shut, than John Knox began toupbraid the Lord James for having broken the covenant and forsaken theCongregation.
Much to that effect, my grandfather afterwards learnt, passed; but theLord James pacified him with the assurance that his heart and spiritwere still true to the cause, and that he had come with Argyle toprevent, if possible, the shedding of blood; he likewise declared bothfor himself and the Earl, who had hitherto always abided by the Queen,that if she refused to listen to reasonable terms, or should break anytreaty entered into, they would openly take part against her.
Upon these assurances a treaty was concluded, by which it was agreedthat both armies should retire peaceably to their respectivehabitations; that the town should be made accessible to the QueenRegent; that no molestation should be given to those who were then inarms for the Congregation, and no persecutions undertaken against theReformed,--with other covenants calculated to soothe the Congregationand allay men's fears. But no sooner was this treaty ratified, the armyof the Congregation dispersed, and her Highness in possession of thetown, than it was manifest no vows nor obligations were binding towardsthe heretics, as the Reformed were called. The Queen's French guards,even when attending her into the town, fired into the house of a knownzealous protestant and killed his son; the inhabitants were plunderedand insulted with impunity, and the magistrates were dismissed to makeway for men devoted to papistry.
The Earl of Argyle and Lord James Stuart, filled with wrath andindignation at such open perfidy, went straight into her Highness'presence without asking audience, and reproached her with deceit andcraftiness; and having so vented their minds, instanter quitted thecourt and the town, and, attended by my grandfather and a few otherservants, departed for Fife, to which John Knox had also retired afterthe dispersion of the Congregation at Perth. The Lord James, in virtueof being Prior of St Andrews, went thither attended by the Earl, andsent my grandfather to Crail, where the Reformer was then preaching, toinvite him to meet them and others of the Congregation with allconvenient expedition.
My grandfather never having been before in Crail, and not knowing howthe people there might stand affected, instead of inquiring for JohnKnox, bethought himself of his acquaintance with Bailie Kilspinnie, andso speired his way to his dwelling, little hoping, from the fearfulnature of that honest man, he would find him within. But, contrary tohis expectation, he was not only there, but he welcomed my grandfatheras an old and very cordial friend, leading him into his house and makingmuch of him, telling him, with a voice of cheerfulness, that the day ofreckoning had at last overtaken the lascivious idolaters.
Then he caused to be brought in before my grandfather the five prettybabies that his wife had abandoned for her papistical paramour, theeldest of whom was but turned of nine years. The thoughts of theirmother's shame overcame their father at that moment, and the tearscoming into his eyes he sobbed aloud as he looked at them, and weptbitterly, while they flocked around, and wreathed him, as it were, withtheir caresses and innocent blandishments. So tender a scene melted mygrandfather's spirit into sadness; and he could not remain master ofhimself, when the eldest, a mild and meek little maiden, said to him, asif to excuse her father's sorrow, "A foul friar made my mother anill-doer, and took her away ae night when she was just done wi'harkening our prayers."
At this juncture, a blooming and modest-eyed damsel came into the room;but, seeing a stranger, she drew back and was going away, when thebailie, drying his eyes, said,--
"Come ben, Elspa; this is the young man that ye hae heard me sae commendfor his kind friendship to me, in that dotage-dauner that I made in mydistraction to St Andrews. This," he added, turning to my grandfather,"is Elspa Ruet, the sister of that misfortunate woman;--to my helplessbairns she does their mother's duty."
Elspa made a gentle beck as her brother-in-law was speaking, and,turning round, dropt a tear on the neck of the youngest baby, as sheleant down to take it up for a screen to hide her blushing face, thatreddent with the thought at seeing one who had so witnessed her sister'sshame.
From that hour her image had a dear place in my grandfather's bosom, andafter the settlement of the Reformation throughout the realm, he courtedher, and she became his wife, and in process of time my grandmother. Butof her manifold excellencies I shall have occasion to speak more atlarge hereafter, for she was no ordinary woman, but a saint throughoutlife, returning in a good old age to her Maker, almost as blameless asshe came from His pure hands; and nothing became her more in all he
rpiety, than the part she acted towards her guilty sister.
Having taken away the children, she then brought in divers refreshments,and a flagon of posset; but she remained not with the bailie and mygrandfather while they partook thereof; so that they were left free toconverse as they listed, and my grandfather was glad to find, as I havealready said, that the poor man had triumphed over his fond grief, andwas reconciled to his misfortunes as well as any father could well be,with so many deserted babies, and three of them daughters.
He likewise learnt, with no less solace and satisfaction, that theReformed were strong in Crail, and that the magistrates and beinestburgesses had been present on the day before at the preaching of JohnKnox, and had afterwards suffered the people to demolish the images andall the monuments of papistry, without molestation or hinderance; sothat the town was cleansed of the pollution of idolatry, and the worshipof humble and contrite hearts established there, instead of the paganpageantry of masses and altars.
After the repast was finished, the bailie conducted my grandfather tothe house where John Knox then lodged, to whom he communicated hismessage from the Lord James Stuart.
"Tell your master," was the reply of the Reformer, "that I will be withhim, God willing; and God is willing, for this invitation, and the stateof men's minds, maketh His will manifest. Yea, I was minded myself to gothither; for that same city of St Andrews is the Zion of Scotland. Ofold, the glad tidings of salvation were first heard there,--there,amidst the damps and the darkness of ages, the ancient Culdees, menwhose memory is still fragrant for piety and purity of faith and life,supplied the oil of the lamp of the living God for a period of fourhundred years, independent of pope, prelate, or any human supremacy.There it was that a spark of their blessed embers was, in our own day,first blown into a flame,--and there, please God, where I, His unworthyinstrument, was condemned as a criminal for His truth's sake, shall I,in His strength, be the herald of His triumph and great victory."