294 Scottish Life in the 17TH Century. 



twice a week. In addition to the cases now commonly dealt 

 with by such bodies, it was largely occupied in trying persons 

 accused of circulating scandal, of intemperance, and of Sabbath- 

 breaking. On one occasion a piper applied to the Session for 

 liberty to follow his vocation in the town; but the members 

 would seem to have been rigid anti-instrumentalists, for they 

 advised the poor wight to " betake himself to some more honest 

 and lawful way of living." 



It was not only trespasses against the moral law, breaches 

 of the King's peace, or offences against the lives or property of 

 the King's lieges that were visited with pains and penalties. 

 The efforts of our rulers were directed to securing both uni- 

 formity and regularity in public worship. All persons who 

 failed to attend the parish church were subjected to a fine. 

 The inhabitants of Kelton seem to have been sinners above 

 other men in this respect. The minister was instructed to call 

 over their names from the pulpit every Sabbath, and absentees 

 were fined six shillings. These measures were directed not only 

 against the openly indifferent and ungodly, but also in an 

 especial manner against Roman Catholics ; and still more severe 

 measures were adopted to prevent the practice of their religion 

 by those who adhered to that proscribed sect. It is to the 

 honour of our country that they shed no blood in endeavouring 

 to suppress Romanism ; but until ideas of toleration had leavened 

 public policy they adopted measures sufficiently harsh and 

 intolerant to justify Milton's sarcasm that new Presbyter was 

 but old Priest writ large. Roman Catholics, including the Earl 

 of Nithsdale and Lord Herries, both residents in this district, 

 the one at Caerlaverock, the other at Terregles, were proclaimed 

 "excommunicated rebels;" and the Privy Council deprived 

 Lord Nithsdale of the paternal right of superintending the 

 education of his son. Numerous persons, chiefly women, were 

 apprehended at the instance of the Kirk Session for hearing 

 mass, and were taken to Edinburgh, where the Privy Council 

 sentenced them to imprisonment ; and the same tribunal had 

 before them a luckless pair who had had the hardihood to get a 

 Roman Catholic priest to marry them, the ceremony being 

 performed for greater secrecy in the fields near Lincluden after 

 nightfall. Blackader of Troqueer was greatly exercised over 

 the tenacity with which Mr and Mrs Maxwell of Mabie and 

 residents on their estate adhered to the ancient faith, and the 

 obstinacy with which they refused to attend the parish church. 

 After years of ineffectual dealing with them the Presbytery of 

 Dumfries passed sentence of excommunication. The laird 

 quailed before the storm, but "Lady Mabie" was firm, and 

 Blackader publicly and solemnly delivered her and eight others- 

 over to Satan in pursuance of the sentence. If he was stern 

 with others, he was himself of the stuff of which martyrs are- 



