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thirty years nor long out of his presence: and that he never durst undertake to preach Christ and salvation to others until he was sure of his own. (Oh! if all our ministers had taken this course, there had been less defection among us.) And that it was long since he durst have ventured upon death and eternity, altho' death remained somewhat terrible; but now the terror of it was taken away: and by virtue of the mercies of God, and merits of Christ, he had a conscience as quiet and calm as if he never had sinned.
When he came to the scaffold and foot of the ladder, he blessed the Lord with uplifted hands, that he was thus near the crown; and when setting his foot upon the ladder, to go up, he said, The Lord knows I go up this ladder with less fear, confusion, or perturbation of mind, than ever I catered a pulpit to preach. He was first turned over. And as Mr. Smith did cleave to him in love and unity in life, so he died with his face upon his breast. Next, Mr. Boig; and then William Cuthill, and William Thomson. These five worthies hung all on one gibbet at the cross of Edinburgh, on that never-to-be forgotten bloody day, the 27th. of July, 1681. The hangman hashed and hagged off all their heads with an axe. Mr. Cargill's, Mr. Smith's, and Mr. Boig's heads were fixed upon the Netherbow-port; William Cuthill's and William Thompson's upon the West Port. The enemies got this great glut of blood the day before the down-sitting of Parliament, wherein the Duke of York did preside as Commissioner.
The wicked, cursed of God, and hated of all right-thinking men, Banshaw, got not his reward in 6000 merks till the next year in May the price of innocent blood, dear blood, blood that cries both loud and long? How shall, or can the tyranny of shedding innocent blood, and defections of all ranks in these days, be forgot? Shortly thereafter he came to Lanark, where he and one of his cursed comrades fell a fighting; his comrade thrust him through the belly with a sword, where blood and dirt ran out. This account I had from several worthy persons,who
