"And, my masters, what crime hae we Scotchmen committed, that we are thus outlawed, and hunted down, and murdered at oor ain hearth stone, in the presence o' wife and bairns? We hae done naething against the kirk o' God; naething against oor kintry; naething against oor King! Let the foeman name it, let them write it in a beuk. Oor hearts were leal to oor kintry; and oor king, until he drove us frae his protection, and refused us the protection o' his natural born subjects. We avowed the covenants o' the reformation frae prelacy; sae did King Charles II. sae did Lauderdale, sae did Sharpe. They broke their Vows voluntarily made, and broucht on themselves the guilt o' perjury: so, help us God, did not we! 66 'The head and front o' oor offending is this: while they place the supremacy, and the dominion ower men's consciences on the shoulders of a mortal man ;—a man too wha violates the first principles o' religion and even decorum. We place the croon o' supremacy on the head o' HIM whose head has many croons.-They forbid us to preach, or to worship the God o' oor fathers but at their nod and dictation. We declare afore high heaven and the angels, that nae power on earth or hell either can abstract frae us the richts and inheritance o' free born men, and christians. They deprived us by force o' oor kirks! We yielded them up wi' sair hearts indeed; but peaceably we teuk this spoiling o' oor gudes, and our temples. We retired to meet oor flocks, under the wide-spreading oak o' the forest, or on the heathy mountain's side. Did we injury to king, or kintry?—They chase us frae een these retreats! They denounce us; and set a price on oor heads; they drive the people by fines, by spear, and carabine into the churches o' the merciless priests. They attack oor Conventicles, where alone we can meet,— they attack oor peaceable families, by their fierce soldiers, and foreigners let loose on us,wha hae not the bowels o' civilized men. They employ e'en the sagacity o' blude hounds to track the wretched wanderer in his hiding-places. Noo, whaur's the man that can blame us for takin' up airms to repel, by force, the violence o' the assassins? Has he the heart o' a man,-Scotchman he canna be, wha can say, we have dune wrong? "We appeal to men! We appeal to angels! We appeal to THEE, O maist just and holy One!....against the Stuart, and his minions the Lauderdales, the Sharps, and the Claverses! We appeal to POSTERITY. And the men o' ither ages, standing on oor gravestones, will con over oor epitaphs; and teach their children to respect them; and they will bless the memory o' the MARTYRS O' SCOTLAND!" The venerable pastor, as he uttered these words in a deep tone of earnestness, bent forward and covered his face with his hands; while a shower of tears fell on his lap. There was not a dry eye in the company. "And where's the heartless wretch," said the Principal, first breaking the silence,-"wha can stand up and justify the foeman; and their measures? Nane, I'm sure, but they only excepted, wha wad bind bleeding Scotland, and the Kirk o' God in chains!" Ye wunna find ae honest man o' Scotland duin' it,”. cried the mathematic Professor; and it cost even him an effort, to keep his voice steady.-"But pray you my friends," continued he,-"Let our venerated Pastor gang on; and dinna interrupt him wi' thae silly tears, and whimperings at this gaite. There's ane hoor when the patriot and minister o' God weep nae mair: and that hoor is come wi' us.Let oor father gang on: ne'er did I hear him wi' half sae mickle pleasure, in the days o' his youth, when the haile o' his audience in the Landward Kirk, in the Heigh Kirk, I hae seen bathed in tears under his outpourings.' “I shall first beg Sir William to narrate the preceding adventures of Burleigh and his college associates," said Cargil,- which drew on them the vengeance of the LifeGuards." CHAPTER VI. Cornwall.-" Peace, Sirrah! You beastly knave, know you no reverence? Kent: That such a slave as this should wear a sword, Goose, If I had you upon Sarum's plain I'd drive you cackling home to Camolet!"-SHAKSPEARE. "It is proper," said Sir Wiliam, "here to notice the adventures of our young friends; they grew oot o' the melancholy state o' the kingdom: oor youth were not the aggressors. The troop o' the Life Guards were stationed in oor vicinity to watch oor movements, and oor religious meetings, sirnamed Conventicles. Thae military supervisors o' spiritual affairs, hae been made acquainted wi' the fact o' a growing spirit o' liberty, and a consequent opposition to tyranny, amang oor youth o' the College o' Glasgow. And it has alarmed the prime-movers in these inquitous measures against Scotland, inasmuch as this spirit has shown itself amang the young noblemen, and those o' the better sort, as weel as amang the sons o' the clergy. They had seen some mortifying proofs o' this: and some o' them had e'en felt it. "When the Curates o' the neeghbouring parishes, had, in their usual way, of a sabbath, called over the names o' their parishioners, to find oot, wha had been speelin' ower the fauld dyke, and heinously transgressin' by lending their presence to a Conventicle; instead o' being at their ain parish Church; and when the curate, with the zeal o' a servant o' the" -"Bewaur o' unguarded words," cried the Principal, as Sir William was casting about in his mind for a proper word,-" Ye mean to say,-a servant o' his Maist Saucred Majesty Charles II. I ken weel, the curate o' Cruikethoum: he wad prefer that alliance to that of heaven!" "Weel, weel!" cried Sir William with a quizzical nodWhen this spiritual servant o' his Maist Saucred Majesty, handed to a posse o' the Life Guards, whom he baptizedhis ruling Elders, the names o' the delinquents, and also o' a' these wha were suspected o' squintin' the wrang way, -often did the students way-lay these ghostly inquisitors, wi' their military escorts, and after giving them a gude drubbing; compelled them to gie back their ill-gotten gear. On one occasion, lately, Burleigh at the head o' a posse o' the students, met Kennoway and Wattie Hepburn, wi' a few troops, and the hopefu' Curate o' Cathcart, near the hoose o' Hamilton o' Aikenhead. Thae worthies were dragging alang that leal and religious gentleman, and some o' his family to the jail; as a preparatory step to his paying his respects to the thumbkins and bootkins, before the Honourable the Cooncill at Edinburgh. The Collegioners, after an animated speech frae oor young hero, formed in gude order, sic lyke as was befitting men o' the red gown, when about to receive military men returning frae sic wark. They were armed wi' clubs o' hawthorn: One or two only had fire-airms. The troop, with their grave chaplain, the said Curate,—made a full halt, and entered into parlance. They were in no condition for sic a rencountre. The worthy Chaplain and his reformin' associates had loaded the horses wi' a huge pile o' blankets, and the linen o' the gude lady o' Aikenhead, whilk like prudent soldiers, they were carryin' off for the double purpose of weakenin' the resources o' the enemy, and of compensating themselves for his Majesty's scrimpit wages. At the head o' the military, on a bit dun coloured shalty, rode the chaplain, the Curate o' Cathcart, in his white bushy wig, and his broad brimmed hat, with the flap turned up, orthodox like, in front. He had not, it seems, deemed it below the standard o' correct morals, himself to aid his worthy assistants in his vocation, and discipline his refractory parishioners. They had aften, like gude shepherd collies, helped him on the sabbath days to ca' the ewes, tae the richt knows --and intil the haly faulds o' his church. And he, in his turn, out o' sheer kindness and gratitude, helped them to tak their pay for their trouble-frae the wicked delinquents. The Curate, in fact, had a huge bundle o' blankets behind his reverence on his nag, but then it had been consigned to him on account of Wattie Hepburn. Burleigh began the parlance wi' mock solemnity. "We are meikle grieved, beloved, that we hae to interrupt yer godly conversation, gude and holy Mr. Curate: and yer pious and edifyin' lesson on sound morals; whilk we see, ye are enforcin' upon yer maist hopeful and unco religious novices there. But we soldadoes o' the thorn club". "Who art thou, varlet"-cried Hepburn stopping him short," who darest at the head of these callans, interrupt the royal Life Guards of his Most Sacred Majesty? I see that you do not disguise the fact that you are Glasgow students! But I swear," (added he, with an oath of the court fashion.) "I will cleave thee to the brisket-if you choke up the passage which I am peaceably pursuing along the king's high way." "Bide a wee bit,-beloved," cried Burleigh,—“and learn a lesson frae the swollen fox in the fable. Ye canna get through this narrow gate, until ye disgorge this ill-gotten gear. And-you, stubborn, ancient knave, you, reverend braggart! We shall teach your reverence ae lesson o' sound morals". Here the troopers were bringing round their carabines; and just as they were a preparing to fire, Burleigh gave a signal, and his ambuscade, frae behind the hedge fell stoutly, club in hand, on the flank and rear of the Curate and his military associates. In a giffy the carabines and pistols were dashed frae their hauns. And sae weel applied clubs waur laid on their shoulders and hurdies-that they saw naithin' but clubs; and felt naithin' but blows. The Curate rolled oot ower, frae his shalty, like a bag o' wool. But he very dexterously contrived to get his bundle o' blankets into his arms-not only to break his fa'—but what was na less his concern, to serve the purpose o' a target, to ward aff the heavy blows o' the students; who had not yet learned the courtesy o' acknowledging the person o' a plunderer to be sacred-be he e'en curate or soldier. As the military claimed the undivided attention o' ilka ane o' the students, that Burleigh, their captain protem, micht na get hurt, the curate soon got an opportunity of gathering himself up, out o' the midst o' his blankets, into which he had rolled himself during the process o' the belabourin'and he betook himsel into an adjacent thicket, wi' the loss o' his hat and wig. The troopers being speedily overpowered and disarmed- |