Upon this, the Earl of Marischall remarked, They plead themselves not guilty of seditious conventicles, as would seem by what that young man spoke, whereas the law concludes their very meetings seditious." Alexander Skene replied, That they could not help all the constructions of that kind, for it had been the lot of God's people in all ages to have misrepresentations cast upon them; "but we hope," said he, "we shall behave ourselves so peaceably and dutifully, that where for conscience-sake we cannot give active, we shall give passive obedience." Then said the Earl of Errol, “Qualified loyalty smells of disloyalty: it seems, then, you will not give bond." To which John Skene answered, "Let never that day dawn, in which we shall be so unfaithful to the Lord! but if any should prove so, let neither the King nor his Council trust that man; for he that is not faithful to the Lord, will never be faithful to his King and country."

The prisoners being ordered to remove, as they were withdrawing, the Earl of Errol said again to Alexander Gellie, That the Quakers' loyalty was a qualified loyalty. Alexander replied, That he did not understand that to be loyalty, which was not qualified with the fear of God, and by obedience to Him rather than man.

After some hours, the prisoners were called into court to hear the decree of the Commissioners to this purport: That they should pay their respective fines to one Captain George Melvill, and that upon payment, they should be set at liberty; that, in default of payment within a limited time, Melvill was impowered to distrain them for the same, and that when the fines should be levied, the prisoners were to be released.

The Earl of Errol departing out of town the next

morning, the remaining Commissioners were unwilling to have further trouble, by issuing afresh a particular process against those who had been committed to prison since the rest were fined; and therefore added a clause to their former decree, by virtue of which, John Forbes of Aquorthies, Robert Gerard, and six others were liberated. Among these, was John Thomson, an aged and a poor man. He had been a soldier in the King's service at the battle of Worcester, was taken prisoner, and sent as a slave to Barbadoes, where he remained five years. There was something in this case peculiarly calling for the indulgent interference of the higher authorities, when inferior servants of the crown could thus overlook the character, services, and bitter sufferings of a man, who had hazarded his life for his King and country, and was now made willing to lose his all, rather than relinquish the free exercise of his conscience towards the King of kings. He appears to have had his goods distrained and disposed of, and to have lain in prison, at one time, for about eight or nine months together, without being either called for, found guilty, or heard in his own defence.

CHAPTER VIII.

1676: FINES LEVIED BY MELVILL-JOHN SKENE AND ROBERT BURNETT ADDRESS THE PROVOST OF ABERDEEN-HIS SEVERITY; AND MELVILL'S CONDUCTPATRICK LIVINGSTON AND JAMES HALLIDAY'S PREACHING-FURTHER DISTRAINTS AND FRESH IMPRISONMENTS-DAVID BARCLAY'S LIBERATION-LETTER OF THE PRINCESS ELIZABETH TO ROBERT BARCLAY-HIS IMPRISONMENT ON HIS RETURN HOME-LETTER OF THE PRINCESS TO PRINCE RUPERT ON BEHALF OF FRIENDS-MELVILL EXECUTES HIS WARRANT OF DISTRAINT AT URY.

SOON after the Court of Commissioners had come to this decision, Melvill set himself to work to put in execution the authority given him, by levying the fines. He began with Thomas Milne, a shoemaker ; from whom, for his fine of £30., he took goods of three times that value; and thereupon, this poor man was released from his imprisonment. He, being discharged, was present when his goods were conveyed to the market-cross to be appraised; and finding that they were doing him much wrong by underrating them, testified against their injustice; and, withal, kneeling down, he prayed God to forgive them. This act, however truly savouring of a meek and Christian spirit, was by the provost, George Skene, resented as a high affront to him and his office; he therefore again committed Thomas Milne to prison, where he was detained four days. Many of the sober and moderate inhabitants of the place justly esteemed this as a great severity; and two of the prisoners found themselves concerned each of them to plead with him, in the following remarkable letters of expostulation.

JOHN SKENE TO THE PROVOST OF ABERDEEN.

"Aberdeen Prison,

"25th of 8th month, 1676.

"PROVOST!

"Read and consider seriously without passion or prejudice: Is there no God in heaven? Is there no judgment day? Must man only die as the beast, and make no account how he hath improved his time in this world, or how he hath answered the end of his creation? If so, then I should think it no strange thing to see thee so devoted to please the spirit of this world, this persecuting spirit, both in thyself and others. But if otherwise,-as I desire to hope thou dost believe,-[then] is there a just and righteous God, who seeth the actions of mankind, and hath a book of remembrance,-[then] the day cometh, wherein that which hath been done in secret, shall be proclaimed as on the house-tops,-[then] there is an after-reckoning, and man must receive his reward conformable to the deeds done in the body,-and [then] man hath something in him not common with the beasts, even an immortal soul; for the salvation of which, he ought to be more concerned to please God than any man, whose breath is in his nostrils, who, as the flower of the field, is here to-day, and to-morrow is cut down! I say, it cannot but seem strange to me, and to all God's people, that one who believes these things, however great in the outward his power be, dare venture on such actions as thou hast this day done, to cause or suffer a man to be imprisoned for no other reason than obeying Christ's command, as it is recorded in Matthew, v. 44, 'Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you.'

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Now, I warn thee, that thou seek not to cover this, and such rigorous practices, lest thou add to thine iniquity; for no excuse will stand thee in stead in the day of the Lord; and their power and influence, by which thou proceedest as thou dost, shall not cover thee from the hand of that God, who hath said concerning his people, He that toucheth you toucheth the apple of mine eye.' Wherefore let not the self-seeking clergy, nor their emissaries, sow pillows under thy arm-holes, as the false prophets did of old to those in authority, by telling thee, that we are not the people of God. For, know assuredly, the word of the Lord hath been to me, with others of my brethren, since we came in here, that as there is no variableness nor shadow of changing in Him, so shall He be the same to us, as He hath been to our brethren and sisters in England, Ireland, and New England too, where some suffered martyrdom for His name's sake. And as we continue faithful in owning Him before men, so he shall own us, not only before our very persecutors, but also in the great and terrible day of the Lord, before his Father and his angels. And we shall be as the palm-tree, [the emblem of constancy, fruitfulness, patience, and vic-· tory,]-the more devils and men endeavour to oppress us in our public testimonies for His inward appearance, we shall rise the higher.

Wherefore, I beseech thee, in God's holy fear, take heed to thy proceedings against an innocent people; and let not the enemy within, nor his instruments without, drive thee further on in this path, wherein thou art walking, lest thou be found fighting against God-then will God fight against thee, and thou shalt not be honourable: for God hath said in the Scriptures, He will honour them that