ISOLATION OF THE " WITNESS." 299 



which they were, then she could not be compelled to 

 answer to the Court of Session at his complaint, save on 

 grounds which would subject to the Court of Session 

 the internal discipline of every unendowed denomination 

 in Scotland. 



The first articles in the Scotsman attempting to 

 mystify the public as to the relation between the Sir 

 William Dunbar Case and the Cardross Case may have 

 been contributed, for what I know, by some sleek 

 Edinburgh parson, whose hatred of the Free Church 

 was an illustration of the infinitely great, and whose 

 love of truth was an illustration of the infinitely little. 

 The busy, careless public were ready enough to take the 

 view suggested by the Scotsman. The editor of the 

 Witness, having read the report of the Dunbar trial, 

 perceived that the matter was one on which it was im- 

 possible for men who took this trouble to hold two 

 opinions. He said so in the columns of the Witness, 

 stated the evidence, told people to satisfy themselves by 

 turning for an hour into the Signet Library and reading 

 the report, and, with a simplicity quite primeval and 

 lamb-like, argued that the Scotsman ought to retract a 

 demonstrated error. The misleading articles continued 

 to appear. Hereupon the virtue of our Nathaniel took 

 fire, and he inveighed against the dishonesty of his con- 

 troversial opponent. Whether the editor of the Scots- 

 man had previously interfered, or had not, he now came 

 upon the field, cudgel in hand, and with the experienced 

 fury of one who had fought many newspaper battles, 

 showered his blows upon the head of the ingenuous young 

 man. Upon the merits of the controversy, the cudgel- 

 bearer said little ; what nerved his arm for vengeance 

 was the preposterous idea that, if black is black and 

 white white, and a gentleman of the press, knowing 



