After a few remarks about the wicked deeds that were done in those days,
the conversation turned upon the murder of Archbishop Sharpe, which Mrs.
Anderson allowed was a cruel doing on the part of the Covenanters,
although the Archbishop himself had caused the destruction of many of
their body. "Ay," she said, "talking about that, I mind well o’ a
minister coming in here one night, who had just come frae Fife, and he
told us that, in the house where he had been staying, the conversation
one evening had turned upon the Covenanters, and the murder o’ the
Archbishop; and as they were speaking about him, the mistress o’ the
house went till a drawer, and pulling out two letters frae the King to
Archbishop Sharpe, threw them on the table wi’ a great air of
consequence—for ye must know that she prided herself on her descent frae
the Archbishop. The minister read the letters carefully, and having
observed the look of importance with which the woman had produced them,
he said to her, ’My good woman, I do not see any use in your keeping
letters that belonged to that evil man, who did our forefathers such bad
service; with your leave I shall put them into the fire.’ ’You shall do
no such thing!’ replied the woman; ’these letters hae been in my
possession this mony a day, and it’s not very likely I kept them so long
to allow them to be burned in the end.’ Now for my own part," said Mrs.
Anderson, "I think she did perfectly right; for losh pity me! if people
were to be condemned for the evil doings o’ their ancestors, we might a’
hide our heads thegither; and besides, I think it a nice thing to hae
these auld relics in one’s ain house: there, now, a gentleman was very
anxious, a short time ago, for me to send the banner and sword into the
Antiquarian Society in Edinburgh; but no, no, says I, I’ll just e’en
keep them, were it only to show that my forefathers were fighting for
the good old cause; but here comes my husband, and he will be able to
tell ye plenty about the Covenanters."
Scarcely had Mrs. Anderson finished speaking, when her husband entered.
"Here, Willie," she said, addressing him, "I am so glad you have come,
for this lady is very anxious to hear some of your stories about the
Covenanters."
"Indeed, ma’m," replied Mr. Anderson, taking off his hat on observing
me, "it’s not much that I know about them, but the little I have came
from my forefathers, and you’re welcome to it, if you think it would
interest you; in the meantime," he added, "I suppose you have seen the
standard and sword?"
"Indeed I have; it was the knowledge that you had such things that
brought me here to-day."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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