Ashcliffe Hall: A tale of the last centuryHolt, Emily Sarah
General
Ashcliffe Hall: A tale of the last century
Holt, Emily Sarah
England -- Social life and customs -- 18th century -- Fiction; Historical fiction; Religious fiction
answered that she wished the salvation of all men, and the damnation
of none. Then a maid which stood by Duncan, and had sobbed and wept
aforetime, which he thought must be of kin or friendly unto her, did
cry most dolefully, 'Dear Margaret! oh say, "God save the King!" say,
"God save the King!"' 'God save him if He will,' quoth she, 'for I
desire his salvation.' Windram now drawing near, commanded her to
take the oath unto the King, abjuring of the Solemn League and
Covenant. 'I will not,' quoth she; 'I am one of Christ's children.'
No sooner had she thus spoken, than one of the town's officers with
his halbert thrust her back into the water, crying, 'Tak' anither
drink, my hearty!' So she died."
"Patient!" said Celia, in a low, constrained voice, "did God let
those men go scathless?"
"Not so, Madam. The town's officer that thrust her back was ever
after that tormented with a thirst the which no draught could slake;
and for many generations the children of the other, which kept down
the old wife with his halbert, were all born with misshapen hands and
feet."[17]
"Patient," said Celia again, in the same low reverent tone, "I wonder
that He suffers such things to be!"
"I marvelled at that, Madam, years agone. It seemed very strange
unto me that He suffered us to be haled down to the beach at the
harrying of Lauchie, and that the storm should come on us and cut off
so many lives of His servants. It exercised me very sore."
"And how did you settle it, Patient?"
"I do not know that I should have settled it, Madam, had I not met
with an ancient gentleman, a minister, that used at one time to visit
Mr. Francis in Paris here. He was a reverend man by the name of
Colville, one of mine own country, that had fled out of Scotland of
old time, and had been dwelling for many years in Switzerland and
Germany."
"Was he akin to this Mr. Colville who is Philip's friend?"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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