the annals of the parish-第28节

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　fault；　for　that　the　greatest　men　of　all　times　had　been　reformers；〃Was　not；〃　they　said；　〃our　Lord　Jesus　Christ　a　reformer？〃〃And　what　the　devil　did　he　make　of　it？〃　cried　Mr　Cayenne；　bursting　with　passion；　〃Was　he　not　crucified？〃

I　thought；　when　I　heard　these　words；　that　the　pillars　of　the　earth　sank　beneath　me；　and　that　the　roof　of　the　house　was　carried　away　in　a　whirlwind。　　The　drums　of　my　ears　crackit；　blue　starns　danced　before　my　sight；　and　I　was　fain　to　leave　the　house　and　hie　me　home　to　the　manse；　where　I　sat　down　in　my　study；　like　a　stupified　creature；　awaiting　what　would　betide。　　Nothing；　however；　was　found　against　the　weaver　lads；　but　I　never　from　that　day　could　look　on　Mr　Cayenne　as　a　Christian；　though　surely　he　was　a　true　government…man。

Soon　after　this　affair；　there　was　a　pleasant　re…edification　of　a　gospel…spirit　among　the　heritors；　especially　when　they　heard　how　I　had　handled　the　regicides　in　France；　and　on　the　following　Sunday；　I　had　the　comfortable　satisfaction　to　see　many　a　gentleman　in　their　pews；　that　had　not　been　for　years　within　a　kirk…door。　　The　democrats；　who　took　a　world　of　trouble　to　misrepresent　the　actions　of　the　gentry；　insinuated　that　all　this　was　not　from　any　new　sense　of　grace；　but　in　fear　of　their　being　reported　as　suspected　persons　to　the　king's　government。　　But　I　could　not　think　so；　and　considered　their　renewal　of　communion　with　the　church　as　a　swearing　of　allegiance　to　the　King　of　kings；　against　that　host　of　French　atheists；　who　had　torn　the　mortcloth　from　the　coffin；　and　made　it　a　banner；　with　which　they　were　gone　forth　to　war　against　the　Lamb。　The　whole　year　was；　however；　spent　in　great　uneasiness；　and　the　proclamation　of　the　war　was　followed　by　an　appalling　stop　in　trade。　We　heard　of　nothing　but　failures　on　all　hands；　and　among　others　that　grieved　me；　was　that　of　Mr　Maitland　of　Glasgow；　who　had　befriended　Mrs　Malcolm　in　the　days　of　her　affliction；　and　gave　her　son　Robert　his　fine　ship。　　It　was　a　sore　thing　to　hear　of　so　many　breakings；　especially　of　old　respected　merchants　like　him；　who　had　been　a　Lord　Provost；　and　was　far　declined　into　the　afternoon　of　life。　　He　did　not；　however；　long　survive　the　mutation　of　his　fortune；　but　bending　his　aged　head　in　sorrow；　sank　down　beneath　the　stroke；　to　rise　no　more。



CHAPTER　XXXV　　YEAR　1794



This　year　had　opened　into　all　the　leafiness　of　midsummer　before　anything　memorable　happened　in　the　parish；　further　than　that　the　sad　division　of　my　people　into　government…men　and　jacobins　was　perfected。　　This　calamity；　for　I　never　could　consider　such　heartburning　among　neighbours　as　any　thing　less　than　a　very　heavy　calamity；　was　assuredly　occasioned　by　faults　on　both　sides；　but　it　must　be　confessed　that　the　gentry　did　nothing　to　win　the　commonality　from　the　errors　of　their　way。　　A　little　more　condescension　on　their　part　would　not　have　made　things　worse；　and　might　have　made　them　better；　but　pride　interposed；　and　caused　them　to　think　that　any　show　of　affability　from　them　would　be　construed　by　the　democrats　into　a　terror　of　their　power；　while　the　democrats　were　no　less　to　blame；　for　hearing　how　their　compeers　were　thriving　in　France；　and　demolishing　every　obstacle　to　their　ascendency；　they　were　crouse　and　really　insolent；　evidencing　none　of　that　temperance　in　prosperity　that　proves　the　possessors　worthy　of　their　good　fortune。

As　for　me；　my　duty　in　these　circumstances　was　plain　and　simple。　　The　Christian　religion　was　attempted　to　be　brought　into　disrepute；　the　rising　generation　were　taught　to　gibe　at　its　holiest　ordinances；　and　the　kirk　was　more　frequented　as　a　place　to　while　away　the　time　on　a　rainy　Sunday；　than　for　any　insight　of　the　admonitions　and　revelations　in　the　sacred　book。　　Knowing　this；　I　perceived　that　it　would　be　of　no　effect　to　handle　much　the　mysteries　of　the　faith；　but　as　there　was　at　the　time　a　bruit　and　a　sound　about　universal　benevolence；　philanthropy；　utility；　and　all　the　other　disguises　with　which　an　infidel　philosophy　appropriated　to　itself　the　charity；　brotherly　love；　and　welldoing　inculcated　by　our　holy　religion；　I　set　myself　to　task　upon　these　heads；　and　thought　it　no　robbery　to　use　a　little　of　the　stratagem　employed　against　Christ's　kingdom；　to　promote　the　interests　thereof　in　the　hearts　and　understandings　of　those　whose　ears　would　have　been　sealed　against　me；　had　I　attempted　to　expound　higher　things。　　Accordingly；　on　one　day　it　was　my　practice　to　show　what　the　nature　of　Christian　charity　was；　comparing　it　to　the　light　and　warmth　of　the　sun；　that　shines　impartially　on　the　just　and　the　unjustshowing　that　man；　without　the　sense　of　it　as　a　duty；　was　as　the　beasts　that　perish；　and　that　every　feeling　of　his　nature　was　intimately　selfish；　but　then　when　actuated　by　this　divine　impulse；　he　rose　out　of　himself；　and　became　as　a　god；　zealous　to　abate　the　sufferings　of　all　things　that　live；　and；　on　the　next　day；　I　demonstrated　that　the　new　benevolence　which　had　come　so　much　into　vogue；　was　but　another　version　of　this　Christian　virtue。　　In　like　manner；　I　dealt　with　brotherly　love；　bringing　it　home　to　the　business　and　bosoms　of　my　hearers；　that　the　Christianity　of　it　was　neither　enlarged　nor　bettered　by　being　baptized　with　the　Greek　name　of　philanthropy。　　With　welldoing；　however；　I　went　more　roundly　to　work；　I　told　my　people　that　I　thought　they　had　more　sense　than　to　secede　from　Christianity　to　become　Utilitarians；　for　that　it　would　be　a　confession　of　ignorance　of　the　faith　they　deserved；　seeing　that　it　was　the　main　duty　inculcated　by　our　religion　to　do　all　in　morals　and　manners　to　which　the　newfangled　doctrine　of　utility　pretended。

These　discourses；　which　I　continued　for　sometime；　had　no　great　effect　on　the　men；　but　being　prepared　in　a　familiar　household　manner；　they　took　the　fancies　of　the　young　women；　which　was　to　me　an　assurance　that　the　seed　I　had　planted　would　in　time　shoot　forth；　for　I　reasoned　with　myself；　that　if　the　gudeman　of　the　immediate　generation　should　continue　free…thinkers；　their　wives　will　take　care　that　those　of　the　next　shall　not　lack　that　spunk　of　grace；　so　I　was　cheered　under　that　obscurity　which　fell　upon　Christianity　at　this　time；　with　a　vista　beyond；　in　which　I　saw；　as　it　were；　the　children　unborn；　walking　on　the　bright　green；　and　in　the　unclouded　splendour　of　the　faith。

But　what　with　the　decay　of　trade；　and　the　temptation　of　the　king's　bounty；　and；　over　all；　the　witlessness　that　was　in　the　spirit　of　man　at　this　time；　the　number　that　enlisted　in　the　course　for　the　year　from　the　parish　was　prodigious。　　In　one　week　no　less　than　three　weavers　and　two　cotton…spinners　went　over　to　Ayr；　and　took　the　bounty　of　the　Royal　Artillery。　　But　I　could　not　help　remarking　to　myself；　that　the　people　were　grown　so　used　to　changes　and　extraordinary　adventures；　that　the　single　enlistment　of　Thomas　Wilson；　at　the　beginning　of　the　American　war；　occasioned　a　far　greater　grief　and　work　among　us；　than　all　the　swarms　that　went　off　week　after　week　in　the　months　of　November　and　December　of　this　year。



CHAPTER　XXXVI　　YEAR　1795



The　present　Ann。　Dom。　was　ushered　in　with　an　event　that　I　had　never　dreaded　to　see　in　my　day；　in　our　once　sober　and　religious　country　parish。　　The　number　of　lads　that　had　gone　over　to　Ayr　to　be　soldiers　from　among　the　spinners　and　weavers　of　Cayenneville　had　been　so　great；　that　the　government　got　note　of　it；　and　sent　a　recruiting　party　to　be　quartered　in　the　town；　for　the　term　clachan　was　beginning　by　this　time　to　wear　out　of　fashion：　　indeed；　the　place　itself　was　outgrowing　the　fitness　of　that　title。　　Never　shall　I　forget　the　dunt　that　the　first　tap　of　the　drum　gied　to　my　heart；　as　I　was　sitting　on　Hansel　Monday　by　myself　at　the　parlour　fireside；　Mrs　Balwhidder　being　throng　with　the　lassies　looking　out　a　washing；　and　my　daughter　at　Ayr；　spending　a　few　days　with　her　old　comrades　of　the　boarding　school。　　I　thought　it　was　the　enemy；　and　then　anon　the　sound　of　the　fife　came　shrill　to　the　ear；　for　the　night　was　lown　and　peaceful。　　My　wife　and　all　the　lassies　came　flying　in　upon　me；　crying　all　in　the　name　of　heaven；　what　could　it　be？　by　which　I　was　obligated　to　put　on　my　big…coat；　and；　with　my　hat　and　staff；　go　out　to　enquire。　　The　whole　town　was　aloof；　the　aged　at　the　doors　in　clusters；　and　the　bairns　following　the　tattoo；　as　it　was　called；　and　at　every　doubling　beat　of　the　drum；　shouting　as　if　they　had　been　in　the　face　of　their　foemen。

Mr　Archibald　Dozendale；　one　of　my　elders；　was　saying　to　several　persons　around　him；　just　as　I　came　up；　〃Hech；　sirs！　but　the　battle　draws　near　our　gates；〃　upon　which　there　was　a　heavy　sigh　from　all　that　heard　him；　and　then　they　told　me　of　the　sergeant's　business；　and　we　had　a　serious　communing　together　anent　the　same。　　But　while　we　were　thus　standing　discoursing　on　the　causey；　Mrs　Balwhidder　and　the　servant　lassies　could　thole　no　longer；　but　in　a　troop　came　in　quest　of　me；　to　hear　what　was　doing。　　In　short；　it　was　a　night　both　of　sorrow　and　anxiety。　　Mr　Dozendale　walked　back　to　the　manse　with　us；　and　we　had　a　sober　tumbler　of　toddy　together；　marvelling　exceedingly　where　these　fearful　portents　and　changes　would　stop；　both　of　us　being　of　opinion　that　the　end　of　the　world　was　drawing　nearer　and　nearer。

Whether　it　was；　however；　that　the　lads　belonging　to　the　place　did　not　like　to　sh