by John Galt
CHAPTER XL
The sixteenth day of June, in the year of our Lord 1638, was appointedfor the renewal at Irvine of the Solemn League and Covenant. On thenight before, my five elder brothers, who were learning trades atGlasgow and Kilmarnock, came home that they might go up with theirfather to the house of God, in order to set down their names together;me and my four sisters, the rest of his ten children, were still bidingwith our mother and him at the mailing.
From my grandfather's time there had been a by-common respect among theneighbours for our family on his account; and that morning my brotherJacob, who happened to be the first that went, at break of day, to thedoor, was surprised to see many of the cotters and neighbouring farmerlads already assembled on the lone, waiting to walk with us to the town,as a token of their reverence for the principles and the memory of thatdeparted worthy; and they were all belted and armed with swords like menready for battle.
Seeing such a concourse of the neighbours, instead of making exercise inthe house, my father, as the morning was bright and lown, bade me carrythe Bible and a stool to the dykeside, that our friends might have roomto join us in worship,--which I did accordingly, placing the stool underthe ash-tree, at the corner of the stack-yard, and by all those who werepresent on that occasion the spot was ever afterwards regarded as ahallowed place. Truly there was a scene and a sight there not likely tobe soon forgotten; for the awful cause that had brought together thatmeeting was a thing which no man who had a part therein could ever inall his days forget.
My father chose the seventy-sixth psalm, and when it was sung, he openedthe Scriptures in Second Kings, and read aloud, with a strong voice, thetwenty-third chapter, and every one likened Josiah to the old King, andJehoahaz to his son Charles, by whose disregard of the Covenant thespirit of the land was then in such tribulation; and at the conclusion,instead of kneeling to pray, as he was wont, my father stood up, and, asif all temporal things were then of no account, he only supplicated thatthe work they had in hand for that day might be approved and sanctified.
The worship being over, the family returned into the house, and havingpartaken of a repast of bread and milk, my father put on his father'ssword, and my brothers, who had brought weapons of their own home withthem, also belted themselves for the road. I was owre young to be yettrysted for war, so my father led me out by the hand, and walkingforward, followed by my brothers, the neighbours, two and two, fell intothe rear, and the women, in their plaids, came mournful and in tears atsome short distance behind.
As we were thus proceeding towards the main road, we heard the sound ofa drum and fife, and saw over the hedge of the lane that leads to theclachan, a white banner waving aloft with the words, "SOLEMN LEAGUE ANDCOVENANT" painted thereon; at the sight of which my father was muchdisturbed, saying,--"This is some silly device of Nahum Chapelrig, that,if we allow to proceed, may bring scoff and scorn upon the cause as weenter the town;" and with that, dropping my hand, he ran forward andstopped their vain bravery; for it was, as he had supposed, the work ofNahum, who was marching, like a man of war, at the head of his band.However, on my father's remonstrance, he consented to send away hissounding instruments and idle banner, and to walk composedly along withus.
As we reached the town-end port, we fell in with a vast number of otherpersons, from different parts of the country, going to sign theCovenant, and, on a cart, worthy Ebenezer Muir and three other aged menlike himself, who, being all of our parish, it was agreed that theyshould alight and walk to the kirk at the head of those who had comewith my father. While this was putting in order, other men and ladsbelonging to the parish came and joined us, so that, to the number ofmore than a hundred, we went up the town together.
When we arrived at the Tolbooth, we were obligated, with others, to haltfor some time, by reason of the great crowd at the Kirkgatefoot waitingto see if the magistrates, who were then sitting in council, would comeforth and go to the kirk; and the different crafts and burgesses, withtheir deacons, were standing at the Cross in order to follow them, ifthey determined, in their public capacity, to sign the Covenant,according to the pious example which had been set to all in authority bythe magistrates and town-council of Edinburgh three days before. We hadnot, however, occasion to be long detained; for it was resolved, with aunanimous heart, that the provost should sign in the name of the town,and that the bailies and councillors should, in their own names, signeach for himself; so they came out, with the town-officers bearing theirbattle-axes before them, and the crafts, according to their privilege,followed them to the kirk.
The men of our parish went next; but on reaching the kirk-yard yett, itwas manifest that, large as the ancient fabric was, it would not be ableto receive a moite of the persons assembled. Godly Mr David Dickson, theminister, had, however, provided for this; and on one of the old tombs,on the south side of the kirk, he had ordered a table and chair to beplaced, where that effectual preacher, Mr Livingstone, delivered a greatsermon,--around him the multitude from the country parishes werecongregated; but my father being well acquainted with Deacon Auld of thewrights, was invited by him to come into his seat in the kirk, where hecarried me in with him, and we heard Mr Dickson himself.
Of the strain and substance of his discourse I remember nothing, saveonly the earnestness of his manner; but well do I remember the awfulsough and silence that was in the kirk when, at the conclusion of thesermon, he prepared to read the words of the Covenant.
"Now," said he, when he had come to the end, and was rolling it up, "asno man knoweth how long, after this day, he may be allowed to partake ofthe sacrament of the Supper, the elders will bring forward the elements;and it is hoped that sisters in Christ will not come to communion tillthe brethren are served, who, as they take their seats at the Lord'stable, are invited to sign their names to this solemn charter of thereligious rights and liberties of God's people in Scotland."
He then came down from the pulpit with the parchment in his hand, andgoing to the head of the sacramental table, he opened it again, and laidit down over the elements of the bread and wine which the elders hadjust placed there; and a minister, whose name I do not well recollect,sitting at his right hand, holding an inkstand, presented him with apen, which, when he had taken, he prayed in silence for the space of aminute, and then, bending forward, he signed his name; having done so,he raised himself erect and said, with a loud voice, holding up hisright hand, "Before God and these witnesses, in truth and holiness, Ihave sworn to keep this Covenant." At that moment a solemn sound rosefrom all the congregation, and every one stood up to see the men, asthey sat at the table, put down their names.