The poor fellow made a confused speech himself, which there is
not the least doubt was quite true; but it was laughed to scorn, and
an expression of horror ran through both the hearers and jury. I
heard the whole trial, and so did Gil-Martin; but we left the
journeyman preacher to his fate, and from that time forth I have
had no faith in the justice of criminal trials. If once a man is
prejudiced on one side, he will swear anything in support of such
prejudice. I tried to expostulate with my mysterious friend on the
horrid injustice of suffering this young man to die for our act, but
the prince exulted in it more than the other, and said the latter was
the most dangerous man of the two.
The alarm in and about Glasgow was prodigious. The country
being divided into two political parties, the court and the country
party, the former held meetings, issued proclamations, and
offered rewards, ascribing all to the violence of party spirit, and
deprecating the infernal measures of their opponents. I did not
understand their political differences; but it was easy to see that
the true Gospel preachers joined all on one side, and the
upholders of pure morality and a blameless life on the other, so
that this division proved a test to us, and it was forthwith resolved
that we two should pick out some of the leading men of this
unsaintly and heterodox cabal, and cut them off one by one, as
occasion should suit.
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