74 John Welsh, the Irongray Covenanter. 



vide him with food, but how did Welsh live and pay his way 

 if all the money he received was one small gold coin in token 

 of friendship? His wants were doubtless few and simple, the 

 only luxury I find him indulging in was tobacco. Possibly his 

 second wife had money. His first wife died at Neilson of 

 Corsock's, shortly after he was outed from Irongray. When 

 he was in Fife in 1674 he was married again. I wish I knew 

 more about John Welsh's monetary matters. 



Avarice was not the only charge levelled at Welsh by the 

 bishops ; in the proclamation of February 6th, 1679, he is 

 accused of " debauching the people to atheism and popery " 

 (Wodrow, iii., i4n). The bishops must have known that such 

 a charge was false. 



There was, however, even in 1674, a party in the Govern- 

 ment who would gladly have won over Welsh by kindness. 

 Wodrow tells us that a proposal was made to him to accept 

 a church and an indulgence. Welsh declined the offer. It, 

 however, did not embitter him against those who accepted 

 the indulgence. Indeed, it was his refusal to denounce them 

 that caused so much trouble among his own followers in years 

 to come, and finally drove him into exile. But I am antici- 

 pating events. 



Welsh in England. 



From Fife Welsh crossed to the Lothians. Scotland had 

 become too hot for him, so he crossed the border to Northum- 

 berland, August, 1676. Here he lived for some time " very 

 pleasantly," says Wodrow (ii., 342). He preached " some- 

 time when Tweed was frozen in the midst of the river, that 

 either he might shun the offence of both nations, or that two 

 kingdoms might dispute his crime." (Blackader, 241, n.) The 

 English authorities, however, were on his track. William 

 Strothers, D.L. for Northumberland, was warned that "John 

 Welsh, alias Hope, a Scotch sectary and pretended minister, 

 who frequents several meetings in the said county and en- 

 deavours to pervert people there, and who stands attainted of 

 high treason in Scotland, is to be searched for and taken into 

 custody and sent into Scotland to be proceeded against on the 

 said attainder." (Domestic Papers, cii., 1676-7.) The 



