Page:Life and prophecies of Mr Alex. Peden (1).pdf/13

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Then continued without confusion. When ended, Claverhouse said, take good night of your wife and ehildren. His wife standing by, with a child in her arms, which she had to him, and another child of his first wife’s, he came to her and said, Now Marion, the day is come that I told you would come, when I spoke first to you of marrying me.—She said, indeed, John, I can willingly part with you. Then he said, “That is all I desire, I have no more to do but die.” He then kissed his wife and bairns, and wished purchased and promised blessings to be multiplied upon them, and his own blessing. Claverhouse then ordered six of his soldiers to shoot, and the most part of the bullets came upon his head, which seattered his brains upon the ground!—Claverhouse said to his wife, What think ye of your husband now, woman?”—She said, I thought ever mueh of him, and now as much as ever. He said it were justice to lay thee beside him. She answered, if ye were permitted, I doubt not but your cruelty would go that length: But how will ye answer for this morning’s work? He said, to man I can be answerable, and for God, I will take him in my own hand. Claverhouse mounted his horse, and then marehed, and left her with the dead corpse of her husband lying there.—She set the bairn on the ground, gathered his brains, tied up his head, straighted his body, and covered him with her plaid, and sat down and wept over him. It being a very desert plaee, where victual never grew, and far from neighbours, it was some time before any friend came to her; the first that came was a very fit hand, that old singular woman in the Cummerhead, named Elizabeth Menzies, three miles distant, who had been tried with the violent death of her husband at Pentland, and afterwards of two worthy sons, Thomas Weir, who was killed at Drumelog, and David Steel, who was