CIJAP.

XIII.

J(JS9.abouttakingarms forKing Wil-liam.

10 msioitx OF ENGLAND.

in courage; and they hated Dundee with deadly hatred. Intheir part of the country the memory of his cruelty was stillfresh. Every village had its own tale of blood. The grey-headed father was missed in one dwelling, the hopeful striplingin another. It was remembered but too well how the dragoonshad stalked into the peasant’s cottage, cursing and damninghim, themselves, and each other at every second word, push-ing from the ingle nook his grandmother of eighty, and thrust-ing their hands into the bosom of his daughter of sixteen; howthe abjuration had been tendered to him; how he had foldedhis arms and said “ God’s will be done; ” how the Colonel hadcalled for a file with loaded muskets; and how in three minutesthe goodman of the house had been wallowing in a pool ofblood at his own door. The seat of the martyr was still vacantat the fireside; and every child could point out his grave stillgreen amidst the heath. When the people of this region calledtheir oppressor a servant of the devil, they were not speakingfiguratively. They believed that between the bad man and thebad angel there was a close alliance on definite terms; thatDundee had bound himself to do the work of hell on earth, andthat, for high purposes, hell was permitted to protect its slavetill the measure of .his guilt should be full. But, intensely asthese men abhorred Dundee, most of them had a scruple aboutdrawing the sword for William. A great meeting was held inthe parish church of Douglas; and the question was pro-pounded, whether, at a time when war was in the land, andwhen an Irish invasion was expected, it were not a duty to takearms. The debate was sharp and tumultuous. The orators onone side adjured their brethren not to incur the curse de-nounced against the inhabitants of Meroz, who came not to thehelp of the Lord against the mighty. The orators on the otherside thundered against sinful associations. There were mi-lignants in William’s army: Mackay’s own orthodoxy was pro-