Alexander Peden

“ One James Kay, a solid and grave Christian, being one of them, who lives in or about the Water of Leith, told me, that Mr. Peden said to him, James, when your wife comes in, let me see her; which he did. After some discourse, he called for a drink; and when he sought a blessing, he said, Good Lord, let not James Kay's wife miss her husband, till thou return him to her in peace and safety; which we are sure will be sooner than either he or she is looking for. Accordingly, the same day month that he parted with her at Leith, he came home to her at the Water of Leith. ”

“ In the said year 1685, he came to Welwood, to Captain John Campbell's, he having escaped out of Canongate-Tolbooth, in the month of August 1684. Being in danger every day, he resolved to go to America, and took farewel of his friends, and went aboard of a ship. Mr. Peden said to his mother, Mistress, what is become of John? She said, He is gone to America. He said, No, no! he is not gone, send for him, for he will never see America. ”

“ As the lad was going from the house, eighteen of the enemies foot were near, crying, Stand, dog. The lad ran, and, six of them pursued half a mile, and fired hard upon him; the ball went close by his head. At that time Mr. Peden continued in prayer for him alone, and with the rest, being twelve men; when praying with them, he said Lord, shall the poor lad that's gone our errand, seeking bread to support our lives, lose his? Direct the bullets by his head, however near, let them not touch him; good Lord, spare the lap of thy cloak, and cover the poor lad. ”

“ Mr Peden said, after musing a little, "Let alone, you will never be honoured with such a death: And for what you have said against these two worthy lasses, your death will be both sudden and surprising." Which was very shortly thereafter; the man standing before the fire, smocking his pipe, dropt down dead, and that without speaking more
13. In the month of June 1682, he was in the house of James Brown, in Paddockholm, above Douglas, John Wilson in Lanark was with him, who suffered martyrdom in the Grass-market of Edinburgh the next year, May 1683. ”

“ Coming near the coast one morning, John Muirhead came to him lying within a hedge: He said, Have ye any news, John? John said, There is great fear of the Irish rising. He said, No no, John; the time of their rising is not yet; but they will rise and dreadful will it be at last. He was long detained waiting for a lark, not daring to go to public ports, but to some remote creek of the sea. Alexander Gordon of Kinstuir, in Galloway, had agreed with one, but Mr. Peden would not sail the sea with him, having some foresight of what he did prove afterwards. ”

“ He took his knife, and cut away the other knot.
36 About this time, he and James Wilson in Douglas, a singularly known man to many, was at Airdsmoss; and being together some time, without speaking, as Mr. Peden's ordinary was, when there was any extraordinary thing in his head, they came to Mr Cameron's grave, where he and other eight were buried. After sitting some time on the grave, he gave James a clap on the shoulder with his heavy hand, and said, "I am going to tell you a strange tale!" James said, "I am willing to hear it." He said; "This is a strange day, both of sinning and suffering! ”

“ At this time it was seldom that Mr. Peden could be prevailed with to preach, frequently answering and advising people to pray meikle, saying, "It was praying-folk that would win through the storm: they would get preaching both meikle and good, but not meikle good of it, until judgments be poured out, to make the land desolate." And at other tines, "We needed not to look for a great or good day of the gospel, until the sword of the Frenches were amongst us, to make a dreadful slaughter ”

“ Let me have the help of your prayers, for I resolve, thro' the Lord's grace, to follow this way no longer." After this he became a singular Christian; and, when he was dying, blessed the Lord that in mercy sent the man of God to his house.
19 There is an old Christian woman living at the Water of Leith, that in the beginning of 1685, went to Ireland, to the foresaid parish of Conert (being big with child) to an aunt's house, who lived there: Shortly after, she was safely delivered, and Mr Peden baptized her child. ”

“ IN the year 1666 when the Lord's persecuted and oppresed people were gathered together for their own defence who were broken at Pentland-bills, he with Mr Welch and the laird of Glorover, in the parish of Balentrea, wire riding together in the same parish, and met upon the way a small party of the enemy's horse, and no eviting of them; the Laird fainted, fearing they would all be taken. Mr Peden seeing this, said, "Keep up your courage and confidence for God hath laid an arrest upon these men, that they shall not harm us." ”

“ When the time of Mr Peden's death drew near, and not being able to travel, he came to his brother’s house in the parish of Sorn, where he was born. He caused dig a cave, with a saughen bush covering the mouth of it, near to his brother's house. The enemies got notice ”

“ Peden was at a place near the borders, distant about sixty miles from Bothwell Bridge. While there, some one came to inform him that vast crowds of people were collected in the hopes of his preaching, it being the Lord's-day, upon which he gave utterance to these remarkable words:—"Let the people go to their prayers; for me, I neither can nor will preach any this day; for our friends are fallen and fled before the enemy at Hamilton, and they are hashing and hagging them down, and their blood is running down like water." ”

“ She looked up swiftly, trying to read what lay behind the harsh repression in his tones. She felt as though he were holding something in leash—something that strained and fought against restraint.
"I'm a man—not a saint!" The memory of his renunciation at King Arthur's Castle swept over her.
"Yet I once thought you—almost that, Peter," she said slowly.
But he brushed her words aside.
"Well, I'm not. When I saw you to-day at the studio . . . God! Did you think I'd keep away? . . . Nan, did you want me to?" ”

“ Then the kings and royal princes that were with him, finding him bent on battle, and knowing well that the Northumbrians would not begin the attack, came to Penda saying—
“We would counsel thee, O king, to wait still until Feargus and Osbert shall reach us, for of a certainty they will come: here are we face to face with a host mightier than ours.”
Then the king answered: “And hath not the host of Penda oft-times conquered hosts twice as mighty as itself, led by greatest warriors of the world? Strength lieth not in numbers, nor in big warriors or little, but in the hearts and minds of men. ”

“ Let those who have a real and heartfelt relish for London society and the privilege of an entree into its most select circles, admit that Major Pendennis was a man of no ordinary generosity and affection, in the sacrifice which he now made. ”

“ Though he was yet ungrown, men looked upon him as a man, for so was he limbed; and such was he for hardihood and cunning with all weapons that he soon excelled all the captains of the king. In stature he towered above his fellows, and his strength was like that of two men. He sought no fight nor feared any, yet his enemies were adread of him; but not less loved was he of his friends, and his manners were so mild, withal, that the poorest might speak with him familiarly. Besides Feargus, were other captains of Penda, chief among whom were his sons Peada and Wulfere ”

“ O king Penda, sore have we wrought against Sigmund and his kin, and many men of his have we slain, little boots it to slay this boy or the faithful thanes who fought for him, in cold blood. Right well they wrought and soldierly against thy thanes, but an unsoldierly death wouldst thou deal to them; oh, never will the light of day seem fair to thy captain Feargus if the blood of these warriors stains the sword of his king. ”

“ Elisabeth made no answer. Instead, she pointed to the Monk's Cliff, where the grey stone of Far End gleamed in the sunlight against its dark background of trees.
“Who lives there?” she asked. Sara's eyes followed the direction of her hand, and she smiled.
“I'm going to live there,” she answered. “That's Garth's home.”
“Oh-h!” Elisabeth drew a quick breath. “It's a grim-looking place,” she added, after a moment. “Rather lonely, I should imagine.”
“Garth is fond of solitude,” replied Sara simply, and she missed the swift, searching glance instantly leveled at her by the hyacinth eyes. ”

“ He and the Proctor capped each other as they met, as if they were rival powers, and the men hardly knew which was the greater.
In fact, in the course of his second year, Arthur Pendennis had become one of the men of fashion in the university. It is curious to watch that facile admiration, and simple fidelity of youth. They hang round a leader; and wonder at him, and love him, and imitate him. No generous boy ever lived, I suppose, that has not had some wonderment of admiration for another boy; and Monsieur Pen at Oxbridge had his school, his faithful band of friends and his rivals. ”

“ Surely your king would little admire ye.”
“Hath he not slain our prince? right angry will be the king. Not one of us dare face him without this man’s head, stark though he be, for he is son to king Nechtan and it must be he who was Penda’s captain.”
“Then no hand will we have in this unknightly work; but we bid ye desist, or an ye do not we will join with Feargus, and what could we not do under so mighty a leader?” ”

“ Doth the conqueror of Edwin, and Oswald, and Sigeberht, and Ceanwealh, and Sigmund need the blood of a boy who hath only once wielded war brand?”
“I have spoken,” said the king; “thou art over bold.”
[27]
Then said Feargus again, “Call me not so, king Penda; never canst thou mean that this boy must die and no greater thing against him than that he was ready to stand up fighting to the last, as though he had been in full manhood.” ”

“ However, as the dove could not be found, he was obliged to tell the king what had happened, and the king in his turn despatched messengers to capture the old man and bring him back. But Peder was safe in the woods, and could not be found. When at last he felt the danger was over, and he might go home, [Pg 354] Kirsten nearly fainted with joy at the sight of all the money he brought with him.
‘Now that we are rich people we must build a bigger house,’ cried she; and was vexed to find that Peder only shook his head and said: ‘No ”

“ Penda’s men are only taught to go right forward.”
“That shows how foolish men are; hide then thy sword that they may take thee for a peaceful minstrel, and I, thy lady.”
And so, guiding their horses aside behind the boll of a great tree, they waited until two horsemen appeared; at sight of them Feargus started. “Torfrida,” said he, “we are indeed lost—it is Osbert and Edgar; behind ride their men doubtless. Caught with the daughter of an enemy, sweetest, none will believe we are not plotting Penda’s downfall, and Osbert will take heed that none shall believe.” ”

“ The young man who has appreciatively entered into the life of Arthur Pendennis will hardly find that he is able to go through the world in a spirit of dandified self-complaisance without a restraining consciousness that such an attitude toward life is most absurd [Pg 201] folly. A man of confirmed worldliness is perhaps not to be turned from his selfish and ignoble living by studying the history of Major Pendennis, to read about whom is not unlike drinking dry and rare old Madeira ”

“ May not the man of the world take his moment, too, to be grave and thoughtful? Ask of your own hearts and memories, brother and sister, if we do not live in the dead; and (to speak reverently) prove God by love?
Of these matters Pen and Warrington often spoke in many a solemn and friendly converse in after days; and Pendennis’s mother was worshipped in his memory, and canonised there, as such a saint ought to be. Lucky he in life who knows a few such women! ”

“ Pendé was a younger brother of King Obindji, and was himself the chief of a village. Pendé was disliked by every body. The fearful accusation which the Bakalais brought against him was this. Pendé was said to have stolen the bones of dead persons in the forest and to have made a fetich with them, which fetich was to keep trade away from a particular village. Pendé was an aniemba (a wizard) ; for who ever heard of men who went and stole human bones and kept them, that were not sorcerers? Pendé’s ways were strange and mysterious. People could not understand them, and he must be killed. ”

“ Then the Welsh king, seeing what a mighty man was Penda, joined hands with him, and together they brought the kingdom of Wessex to their feet. So everywhere the Mercians had the victory. Then, at length, king Edwin lifted his war brand [3] and gathered together a mighty host and went to meet the Mercians, but in a great fight Penda overthrew the Northumbrians, and Edwin himself was slain. So the power of Northumbria waned, until its new king, Oswald, roused himself, and went forth to help the Christian East Anglians against Penda, and with him went a mighty host. ”

“ Sara shook her head.
“Not a bit,” she smiled back.
“It seems so to me,” persisted Elisabeth, regarding her with judicial eyes. “Somehow you convey such an impression of youth. You always remind me of spring. You are so slim and straight and vital—like a young sapling. However, perhaps Mr. Trent also has the faculty of youth. Youth isn't a matter of years, after all,” she added contemplatively.
“Now go on,” she commanded, after a moment. “Tell me what he looks like.”
Sara laughed and plunged into a description of Garth's personal appearance. ”