Introductory. 3 



and fairly refused to go on. But the mare had over- 

 looked the fact that it was now in the drought of 

 summer, whereas it had formerly been raw winter. 

 And her master, failing to persuade her that it was safe 

 to hold on her way, exclaimed " Wae- worth ye, beastie ; 

 yer memory's a hantle better than your jeedgment." 



The people dwelt almost of necessity much amongst 

 themselves, living in a simple, homely style, on the 

 produce of their own cultivation. Observant strangers, 

 in speaking of diversities in manners, and style of 

 speech, among the common people, professed to note 

 specific differences, if not between the inhabitants of 

 one parish and the inhabitants of another, certainly 

 between those of one district and those of other districts 

 in the same shire ; and it might be, in some instances, 

 not half-a-dozen miles apart. The state of matters was 

 not unfavourable to the growth of certain virtues, such 

 as neighbourliness, social sympathy, and the like. And 

 along with these there was almost necessarily contract- 

 edness of view and lack of the spirit of progress. It 

 was equally natural that there should exist a consider- 

 able tinge of superstitious feeling, manifesting itself in 

 such forms as the prevailing beliefs in fairies, ghosts, 

 witches, and water kelpies, as well as in a sort of 

 character who seems to have held a midway place 

 between the fully developed warlock, who had his 

 commission directly from the Prince of Darkness, and 

 the seer, or person originally gifted, more or less, with 

 superhuman power which enabled him to cope with 

 certain bodily ailments and various other of the ills 

 that afflict humanity. 



Among the peasantry generally, as indeed amongst 

 other classes of society during the same period, religious 

 feeling was in a rather dormant state. The prevailing 

 sentiment was pretty much that which, at a later era, 

 came to be described by the term " moderate," under- 

 stood in its worst sense. The " Seceder," when, in due 

 time, lie became an existing entity, here and there, was 



