"18th November 1649.--The sd day the Minister and Elderis being conveinit in Sessione ... the Minister askit at ye Elderis for delationes, and desyrit them to try if yer was aney hallowe fyres set on be aney of the parochiners upon a hallarse evine. The sd day the Minister requirit of the Elderis if they knew aney peices of land within the paroche that was calit the goodmane's land or fauld, or dedicated to Satane, or lattine by unlabourit. They sed yer was ane peice land in Brogane calit Garlet or guidman's fauld, within Andrew Robes tak that was not labourit this manie yeires, for quhat respect they knew not. The Minister desyrit them to try qrfr it lay unlabourit." "25th November 1649.--... Intimat that yr be no Midsumer, no hallow fyres, under the paine of the haveris of them to be condinglie punishit." "Sessione the 30th December 1649.--The sd day the Minister and Elderis being conveinit in Sessione ... compeirit Thomas Patersone, and confessit that yr was a peice land in his rowme calit the goodmane's fauld, quhilk was this long time unlabourit. He is ordainit to labour it, and promist to do so efter Whitsonday, qn it was for faching. The sd day the Minister did inquyr of the Elderis that knew of aney that superstitiouslie keipit Yoolday. They did all report that it was not keipit, that they did not yoke yr pleuches, but yokt their work-horses." In the same year (1649) the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland appointed a commission of their own number to report to the next General Assembly as to the Druidical customs observed at the fires at Beltane, Midsummer, Hallow-e'en, and Yule. All the old customs were ordered to be discontinued, and the people warned against kindling fires for superstitious purposes. CHAPTER XXVII. Dr. Stuart On the Druids--Their Deities--Augury--Human Victims--Nature of the Gods--Gauls descendants of Dis--Funeral Rites--Slaves and Clients burned--What Pliny says--Tallies used in making known the Will of Heaven--Walking through the Fire--Barbarous mode of discovering Future Events--Wonder-working Eggs--Colours of Eggs, and by whom worn--Virtue of Globule of Ink--Easter Eggs represent Druidical Eggs--Origin of the Druids dated from the Dispersal of Babel--Arch-Druid of the Mountains--Wise Men of the East were probably Druids--Island of Iona--Druidical Cairns--Stones of Judgment--Mr. Rust's Opinion--Misletoe regarded as a Charm--Rings worn as Preventatives against Witchcraft--Legend concerning Stonehenge--A Famous General--Merlin the Magician--Stones brought from Africa by Giants--Graves of British Lords.