Cargil took Davie up in his arms, and kissed him; and laying him in his bosom, supported by the one hand he raised the other toward heaven, and offered up a prayer: May the Almighty God bless thee, my sweet wee bairne, wi' a' purchased and special blessings!'-and his tears, in large drops, fell on the face of the lovely child. Davie looked amazed, first at Cargil: then at his mother; and then at his father; and wondered why they all cried, and then he cried too;-and kissed Cargil's cheek; and fondled with his fingers, in his long beard, while he looked on his parents and sobbed.

The soldier rose, stept to the window, and dashed a tear from his eyes; then turning him round, he took his little boy out of the bosom o' Cargil, and pressed him to his own bosom.

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Father Cargil-for I maun e'en ca' ye sae,—did we ken each ither better, and did we come together wi' the simplicity, and guileless heart o' my wee Davie, I think the murderous wark o' thae dulefu' times wad speedily be brocht to an end!"

His wife came hastily up as he uttered these words, and laying her white arm round her soldier's neck,she kissed his cheek, with fondness, while the clear tear drops rolled down the red cloth on the soldier's

arm.

"I knew it, my Bauldy! I knew it weel. And, Oh! it needs only the meetin' o' Scotchmen, wi' a Scotchman; and the opening o' a Scotchman's heart to the sympathies o' a Scotchman's heart, to put an end effectually to this bludy butcherin' wark."

"Yes!" cried the soldier,- 'I think if wee Davie here, had introduced auld Donald Cargil to Claverse, or e'en to Sharp himsel' wi' this simplicity, and innocence o' childhood, he might move baith the ane and the ither. But come, venerable man, continued the soldier to Cargil,I am ane under authority, and no my ain master." cast an expressive glance at his wife, as he uttered this, "And at this instant, ye are no safe under this roof," added he,—my comrades wull soon be here: follow me,"

He

Cargil hastily wrote a few lines, which he put into the hands of the soldier's wife; with instructions that wee

VOL. I.-L.

Davie should, in person, present them to Helen Wardlaw. He then took up the child once more, in his arms, and pronounced a solemn benediction on him, and kissed him. We shall hear o' thee, some day, my bonny wee sweet Davie. May the benison o' the Almichty be on thee, and on thy kind-hearted mither, and thy faither!"

6.

The bairne wept, and sobbed as he held out his ruby lips to be kissed; and leaning him against the door-cheek, his weeping eyes followed Cargil, and his father, up the street until they disappeared.

The soldier led Cargil up the High-street; and thence up the hill side toward the ruins of the bishop's castle, which, at that time, extended over the spot, which is now the site of the Glasgow hospital. And having conducted him into the midst of the ruins. he shook him heartily by the hand, and instantly disappeared.

Father Cargil seated himself on the fragment of a pillar, in an obscure corner of the ruins, and sunk into a reverie. These ruins of massy columns, and architraves, and sculptured pediments recalled the idea of the former grandeur of the men of olden times. He thought of the inmates of this episcopal palace,-the warlike bishops of this castellated house. He thought of priests who had here muttered their morning prayers; and their orisons at toll of the curfew who had fasted and lacerated their flesh, and counted their beads before men; and rioted in intemperance and crimes, when no mortal eye saw them. He thought of priests converted, here, into soldiers and led by the bishop, mounted the bastions, and sounded the warder's bugle, and flung the lance, and handled the shield, the sons of war and of peace, as it suited the taste of their proud mitred lord; who mingled in politics, and mumbled masses -who dictated to the willing consciences of king and nobles; who granted absolution to living knaves; and extreme unction, and a passport to dying sinners; who reaped golden harvests from masses over the uncomplaining dead; and drew rich bequests from the dying ruffian. There passed before his mind the image of bishops who had reigned here; Lauder, and Campbell, and Morton, and Blackadder; and above all, arch-bishop Beaton, the voice of whose revelry, in these halls, rivalled that of any Scottish

duke or lord, when with the neighbouring chiefs he drank deep potations.

"There was mirth in the hall;

And beards wagged all."

But the Reformation came. The voice of John Knox was heard and the voice of the lords of the congregation, and the voice of the Scottish nobility. It came upon arch-bishop Beaton like a thunderstorm from heaven. It fell on his strength, his glory, and his profligacy. He escaped to France it is true. But he had the characteristic wisdom and forecast of his fellows. He fled notuntil he had secured the rich plunder of this castle-palace, and the plunder of all the valuables of the Cathedral adjoining this, now called the Heigh Kirk. "And the rooks hae a nest here nae mair. So neither hae I," continued Cargil gathering up his grey cloak around him-"Neither hae I, intil whase weak and unworthy hands, for ane, the rod o' the shepherd o' thae same sheep, has fa'en. We drove the Romanists frae their palaces. The Erastians and Malignants, in their turn, hae driven us frae our humble sheelins! Beaton, wha had studied temporals, wi' nae sma' attention, trusting naught to French hospitality, and conscious that e'en the Pope wad gie him mair credit for his spiritual disinterestedness, in proportion as he had ta'en the means to place himself independent o' his Holiness' bounty, took especial care, in his saving knowledge, to provide himself wi' the materials o' a splendid home. I wha aince fed the saum flock, here, hae na, this night, whare to lay my head;-savin' it be amid the Prelate's fragments." The old man wrapt his cloak closer around him and laughed aloud at the idea, while he repeated it-"saving it be here amid the 'bishops' fragments." And he laid himself down; and stretched out his limbs on the ruins of a massy pillar; and laid his head on the chapiter work, for a pillow; with perhaps, as much real enjoyment; as the ancient bishop had stretched himself out, probably, in this same spot, after a luxurious banquet, on his bed of canach, or sea-fowl down!

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'No, indeed!" cried Master James, coming up to him with some concern, "E'en this is denied you-a'the imps o' hades seem, this day, to hae broken loose. And the

bishop's ghaist frowns on ye, father, for this liberty ye hae ta'en wi' his fragments! Arise; some persons approach, not soldiers, but strangers they seem, who wish to look, also, at thae monuments o' sacerdotal pride, and sacerdotal downfa !"

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"I bethink me, noo, Master James," said Cargil raising himself up, with great indifference, and a singular elasticity of spirits, so common to the sufferers, as dangers thickened around them; I bethink me;—in that humble street o' thatched houses, near bye, dwells my auld Bedrel, wha has served me faithfully for mony a year by gane. This way James! Let us descend through this shafted window. Let us, soldier like, retire so as to hae the auld ruins o' this sacerdotal bigging, to cover oor retreat. This way, Master James!-You are as thin as I am. Thanks to our moderate larder. Had I been an English bishop noo, to whom a huge corporation seems as essential as canonicals, I could na hae effected my escape by any means. I must hae been grupped by the foemen. What a beautiful and appropriate fitness there is in things! There noo! how easily oor slim bodies slip through the shafts o' the ruined window !"

They were soon at the fire-side of the Bedrel of the Barony Kirk, and their welcome was a substantial one. The old man, without one unnecessary question, or unbefitting remark, rose up from his humble table; led Cargil and Master James into the spense,-presumed that this maun be his young frien seeing that he had brocht him alang wi' him told him that he had heard, this day, unco meikle aboot his dear Minister, that had alarmed him right sairly. "Noo," continued he, "ye canna lodge here, nor rest e'en ae hoor! The enemy hae been here this very day, mair than aince, and well I jaloose, they'll be here again, ere long. I do believe, father, they hae, at last, found oot ilka ane o' yer lurking places in the haille city and parish. For the three thoosan' siller marks, set on yer dear auld grey head, hae sent oot mony a pack o2 bludy villains after ye: God help ye! Noo, dinna say ae word. Come ben and tak each o' ye a retreating mess, and then run. Noo, Lucky!" continued the Bedrel, turning his eyes on his kind help-mate, who was wiping away a tear with the corner of her white apron, while she held the

pot

hand of her minister with the other, "bring ben the meikle o' barley kail, and the residue o' the haggis, and the kebbuck, I'm grieved that we hae nae yitt meal cakes,the grand staff o' Scotland's life. But we hae a gude substitute: we hae plenty o' mashlum bannocks, and scadded Scones. And thir kittle times afford us nae time to think o' a nice and delicate gab!"

By this time they were seated, and father Cargil lifted his hands and pronounced a brief benediction over "the gude viands so unexpectedly provided by the kind hand o' Providence; and noo! O gude Lord," continued he, thou art ay mindfu' o' thy puir wanderin' servants: we hae ne'er wanted for ocht. Bless thae crater comforts; and endue us wi' thy heavenly grace: and let our souls be nourished to the day o' rest and glory. And the mair especially as thy puir auld servant knaws not whaur he may eat his neist meal; nor how sune he may be called to glorify thee in the last extremity o' his sufferings."

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I hae nae claret, to wash down the viands," cried the Bedrel, as he bustled about to serve them. "But I hae the best o' gude yill," continued he, as from the large pewter pint stoup he filled the two clean little bickers brimming full, and drank to their health, and craved Heaven's benison on them.

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As he hurried them through their frugal meal, and frequently went to the door to reconnoitre, the anxious Bedrel discovered, or conceived that he had discovered, a straggling party advancing towards his humble dwelling. Without ceremony he hastened Cargil and Master James, out of the back door, and over the garden wall into the next lane. Noo, ye'll gang doon intil the howe o' the Burn, and then, father, ye'll tak upwards, and find yer way intil the Kirk yard. The sun is, by my reckonin', twa hoors heigh yet: I'll tak my canny way to be wi' ye: and I sall meet ye in the Kirk yard wi' the keys, and introduce ye intil yer retreat. God bless ye baith,-haud that way, and hasten on." As he uttered this, he directed them down to the hollow, on the east, and then left them to shift for themselves.

Cargil led James down the lane into the channel of the Molindinar Burn; and they pushed their retreat up the bank of that small stream, which, at that time, had no mill dam. L*