148 A Covenanter's Narrative. 



meikle lig-ht and knowledge. He and I did every one of us 

 read sing and prayd every day twice ilk ane of us and thrice 

 on the Sabath ; and the Lord was with us, we had a guide 

 sweet life of it better than ever I had so long together at 

 home. Afterward there came into us a gay man, and then 

 after shortlie ane contentious and . . . man, and another 

 clattering . . . man, that was put in for debt, that crost 

 us and could not endure our worshipping the Lord four times 

 a day ; so that we were forced to come to twice a day ; but 

 it was a great task and piece of work to get the house keepit 

 in order and sober from their pastimes and plays at cards, 

 and other times blasfeming the prisoners of Christ. There 

 were four of them very rough. I was sore afraid that it had 

 been made a prison indeed, but the Lord helpit us. They 

 were go ten born down, and put from their pastimes with 

 great difficulty, and many short words for the which I was 

 callit cankert, and one who no man could dwell with except 

 I commanded all the house. 



" My friend came to me again upon the Saturday. I 

 was directing James Chalmers to come home with the meal. 

 My friend said, let him wait twa hours and he will hear other 

 news still there atending me; for the counsel were to meet 

 presently, and I myself did still look for no less. So I prayed 

 to the Lord till it was lait ; but they meddled not with me any 

 more, whilk was by my expectation very far, for I believed 

 never to have seen my wife or bairns and friends any moor on 

 this side of time. But the Lord my God had fillet me that 

 I thought was strength [to] me, and makit me through his 

 grace to have undergone the worst of it, if my heart deceivit 

 me not. 



" Two or three days afterward the laird of MousaH^ came 

 to visit me in prison exceeding kindly, and caused one with 



42 Mouswald; a name spelt in many ways. The person referred 

 to seems to have been William Douglas, who succeeded to the 

 estate about 1657, and died without issue in 1670. His sister, 

 Margaret, married AVilliam Grierson of Barquhar (see above note 52 ; 

 see also J. J. Reid, The Barony of Mousirald and its Barons; a 

 Page of Border History, Proc. of the Soc. of Antiquaries of Scot- 

 land, 1888-9, vol. xxiii.). 



