18.03.2019 Views

Protestantism in Scotland - James Aitken Wylie

  • No tags were found...

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.

eloquent Richard Baxter. The scene that followed<br />

we shall give <strong>in</strong> the words of Bennet. It will enable<br />

us to realize the monstrous tyranny of the times,<br />

and the utter shame <strong>in</strong>to which England had sunk.<br />

Baxter was committed on Jeffreys' warrant for his<br />

paraphrase on the New Testament, which was<br />

called a scandalous and seditious book aga<strong>in</strong>st the<br />

Government. Be<strong>in</strong>g much <strong>in</strong>disposed, Baxter's<br />

counsel moved for postponement of the trial. "I<br />

will not," cried Jeffreys, "give him a m<strong>in</strong>ute's time<br />

to save his life. We have had to deal with other sort<br />

of persons, but now we have a sa<strong>in</strong>t to deal with. I<br />

know how to deal with sa<strong>in</strong>ts as well as s<strong>in</strong>ners.<br />

Yonder stands Oates <strong>in</strong> the pillory, and he says he<br />

suffers for truth, and so says Baxter; but if Baxter<br />

did but stand on the other side of the pillory with<br />

him, I would say two of the greatest rogues and<br />

rascals <strong>in</strong> the k<strong>in</strong>gdom stood there."<br />

"His counsel," says Bennet, "were not suffered<br />

to proceed <strong>in</strong> the defense of their client, but were<br />

brow-beaten and hectored by the judge <strong>in</strong> a manner<br />

that suited Bill<strong>in</strong>gsgate much better than a tribunal<br />

of justice. Mr. Baxter beg<strong>in</strong>n<strong>in</strong>g to speak for<br />

538

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!