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1. He, should get a great fall from a horse. 2. He should fall into adultery. 3. Into rest; and that for this he should leave the land. 4. Make a melancholy end abroad for murder. Which accordingly came to pass. There was one Murdoch, a mason to his trade, but then in the military service, who first put hands to his corpse.
A little before his death he said, “Ye shall be angry where I shall be buried at last, but I discharge you all to lift my corpse again.” At last, one morning early, he came to the door and left his cave; his brother's wife said, Where are you going, the enemy will be here? He said, I know that. Alas. Sir, said she what will become of you? You must go back in the cave again, He said, “I have done with that. for it is discovered. But there is no matter, for within forty eight hours I will be beyond the reach of all the devil's temptations, and his instruments, in hell or on the earth: and they shall trouble me no more.” About three hours after he entered the house, the enemy came and found him not in the cave; then they searched the barn narrowly, casting the unthreshed corn; and searched the house, stabbing the beds but entered not the place where he lay.
Within forty-eight hours he died, January 28. 1686, being past sixty years; and was buried in the Laird of Afflect’s Isle. The enemies got notice of his death and burial and sent a troop of dragoons, and lifted his corpse and carried him to Cumnock-gallows-foot and buried him there (after being forty-days in the grave) beside others. His friends thereafter laid a grave-stone above him, with this inscription:
Here lies
Mr. ALEXANDER PEDEN,
A faithful Minister of the Gospel at GLENLUCE,
Who departed this Life, January 28 1886.
And was raised after Six weeks, out of his Grave,
And buried here out of contempt.
After this, that troop of Dragoons came to quarter in the parish of Cambusnethen: Two of them were quartered
D3
