by Walter Scott
NOTE P.--Expulsion of the Bishops from the Scottish Convention.
For some time after the Scottish Convention had commenced its sittings,the Scottish prelates retained their seats, and said prayers by rotationto the meeting, until the character of the Convention became, through thesecession of Dundee, decidedly Presbyterian. Occasion was then taken onthe Bishop of Ross mentioning King James in his prayer, as him for whomthey watered their couch with tears. On this the Convention exclaimed,they had no occasion for spiritual Lords, and commanded the Bishops todepart and return no more, Montgomery of Skelmorley breaking at the sametime a coarse jest upon the scriptural expression used by the prelate.Davie Deans's oracle, Patrick Walker, gives this account of theirdismission.
"When they came out, some of the Convention said they wished the honestlads knew they were put out, for then they would not get away with haill(whole) gowns. All the fourteen gathered together with pale faces, andstood in a cloud in the Parliament Close; James Wilson, Robert Neilson,Francis Hislop, and myself, were standing close by them; Francis Hislopwith force thrust Robert Neilson upon them, their heads went hard on oneanother. But there being so many enemies in the city fretting andgnashing the teeth, waiting for an occasion to raise a mob, whenundoubtedly blood would have been shed, and having laid down conclusionsamongst ourselves to avoid giving the least occasion to all mobs, kept usfrom tearing off their gowns.
"Their graceless Graces went quickly off, and there was neither bishopnor curate seen in the street--this was a surprising sudden change not tobe forgotten. Some of us would have rejoiced near them in large sums tohave seen these Bishops sent legally down the Bow that they might havefound the weight of their tails in a tow to dry their tow-soles; thatthey might know what hanging was, they having been active for themselvesand the main instigators to all the mischiefs, cruelties, and bloodshedof that time, wherein the streets of Edinburgh and other places of theland did run with the innocent precious dear blood of the Lord'speople."--_Life and Death of three famous Worthies_ (Semple, etc.), byPatrick Walker. Edin. 1727, pp. 72, 73.
