Donald Cargill

“ What makes good the old Scots saying, "Such life, such end."
Whose desires to he further informed of the life and death of blest Mr. Cargill, may peruse the relations that are given of him by Mr. Shiels in the Hind Let Loose, and in the Cloud of Witnesses. His last testimony, and what he spake upon the scaffold, his narrowy sententious letter to several prisoners when under sentence of death, his letter to the Gibbites in the correction-house, and his letter to his parish, yet in the hands of some are to be found in the Cloud of Witnesses. ”

“ Mr. Cargill, after that, was never heard to pray for him in public. His unhappy birth and restoration day, May 29th 1660 which was enacted to be an universal Thanksgiving day, became a trial to some, and a land-sin and snare to many, and observed to this day, by castle-guns roaring, though even upon the Sabbath, at twelve of the clock; which day was Mr. Cargill's ordinary weekly sermon-day. His kirk being very throng with tears he said, Do you expect more or better preaching this day than other days? Or, is it upon account of your king? It is like that is many of your errands ”

“ Cargill, to any that would apprehend him either quick or dead, being 6000 merks.
They marched hard to Lanark, and put the prisoners in the Tolbooth, until the soldiers got meat and drink. They got horses brought them out in haste, and set them on their bare backs. Bonshaw, with his own hands, tied Mr Cargill's feet below the horse's belly very hard, he looked down to him and said, Why do you tie me so hard? Your wickedness is great, you will not long escape the just judgment of God ”

“ About this time, some spoke to Mr Cargill of his preaching and praying short. They said. 'O Sir, it is long betwixt meals, and we are in a starving condition; all is good, sweet and wholesome, that you deliver, but why do you so straiten us?' He said, 'Ever since I bowed the knee in good earnest to pray, I never durst preach, and pray with my gift; and when my heart is not affected, and comes not up with my mouth, I always think it time to quit it. ”

“ Mischief shall hurt the violent man.
They came to Glasgow in haste, fearing a rescue of the prisoners: and while waiting at the tolbooth, till the magistrates came to receive them, one John Nisbet, the Archbishop's factor, said to Mr. Carvill in ridicule, three times over, Will you give us one word more? (alluding to an expression he used sometimes when preaching) ; to whom Mr Cargill said with regret, "Mock not, lest your lands be made strong. The day is coming, when you shall not have one word to say though you would." ”

“ Thus died the noble Earl of Argyle, a martyr not only to the Protestant Religion, but also bearing his last testimony against Prelacy as well as Popery. His too great compliances with the managers previous to the affair of the Test lay heavy upon him to the last; but nothing grieved him so much as the unhappy vote he gave against Mr. Cargill. ”

“ This woman's ill will overcome his good; he will not keep the way long, his thriving days are done. Which sadly came to pass in every jot. A little time thereafter he was taken and put in prison, fell in foul compliance with the enemies, went home and heard the Curates, and other steps of defection, and became lightly esteemed. This was the last marriage he performed; in which both he. Mr. Peden, Mr. Cameron, and Mr. ”

“ I say, he is the man that has cast off all fear of God." The advocate stormed at this; but did not deny the truth of it, knowing that he had thus expressed himself, in same of his wicked mad fits, There is yet alive, an old reverend minister in the south of Scotland, was witness to this, and can assert the truth of it, who several times since had said, that he admired the composedness and confidence of Mr. Cargill. ”

“ Cameron, that upon the 5th day of July 1680, they preached together at the Kiprig in Clydesdale; which twas Mr. Cameron's last Sabbath, and were to meet and preach at Craigmad in Stirlingshire the first Sabbath of August, but Mr. Cameron's blood and others ran like water on the 22d of July: Mr. Cargill preached upon the 25th in the parish of Shots, upon that text, "Know you not that there is a great man and Prince fallen in our Israel." ”

“ Cameron, being publicly murdered; Mr. Blackadder, and Mr Dickson, in the enemies’ hands; Messrs. Cargill, Douglas and Hepburn gone off the kingdom; the rest of the thirty Ministers who preached in the fields before Bothwell bridge, being fallen in deep silence and compliance with the enemy; in this time, while men slept, the enemy sowed his tares. ”

“ M'Ward, Cargill, and others, who were of one heart and soul, seeing with one eye, thinking with one mind, and speaking with one breath, met at Glasgow to compare notes, and set a day apart for prayer together, to be more and more confirmed in their duty of giving warning of the sin and danger of the malignant courses driven on in that day by fraud and force, especially calling home their head, Charles II. Mr. ”

“ However, Argyle got together above 1500 men, and expected a great many more would have joined him, in order to oppose the King and Council in their bloody cruelties carried on in these days, but he was disappointed, and after several unsuccessful attempts, without ever coming to any total action, and his officers differing among themselves, the most of his men deserted, and finding it impracticable to do any thing to purpose, he dismissed the whole, and put himself in disguise but was soon taken by a few militia at the water of Inchinnan. ”

“ And it is well known to some yet alive, that he died that morning that Mr Cargill, and these worthies with him, suffered in the afternoon
Shortly after this appearance of Mr. Cargill, before the Council, Rothes was seized with sickness and pains; And when he found the pangs of death turning sharp upon him, he cried out for some of his wife's ministers, (she being a favourer of the Presbyterian ministers) for his ministers were good to live with, but not to die with. He sent for old Mr John Carstairs, who with Mr George Johnston, came to him. Mr. ”

“ Enemies are now enraged against the way and people of God, but ere long they shall be enraged one against another, to their own confusion." Here the drums did beat a third time. Then setting his foot on the ladder, he said, "The Lord knows I go on this ladder with less fear, and perturbation of mind, than ever I entered the pulpit to preach."—When up, he sat down, and said, "Now I am near the getting of the crown, which shall be sure, for which I bless the Lord, and desire all of yon to bless him, that he hath brought me here, and made me triumph over devils, men, and sin. ”

“ Being come to the scaffold, he stood with his back to the ladder, and desired the attention of the numerous spectators; and after singing from the 16th verse of the 118th psalm, he began to speak to three sorts of people; but being interrupted by the drum, he said, with a smiling eountenance, 'Ye see we have no liberty to speak what we would, but God knoweth our hearts.' As he proeeeded, he was again interrupted. Then, after a little pause, or silence, he began to exhort the people ”

“ Mr. Veitch said, he doubted not the certainty of it: They insisted both at expressing their (illegible text) y at the news. Mrs. Bitleston being present, said, I cannot be so much taken up with that news as you are; I know that house or Argyle was a good house for our Reformation, and his father suffered for it; but, for himself he hath been a member of that wicked bloody council these 18 years, where many a wicked thing have been acted and done: But, above, it was his vote that took away the life of our worthy dear friend, singular Mr Cargill ”

“ Cargill. "If ye cannot understand a simple metaphor, ye cannot understand the rudiments of politics."
Picture to yourself a prophet who suddenly discovers that his God is laughing at him, a devotee whose saint winks and tells him that the devotion of years has been a farce, and you will get some idea of Lady Lavinia's frame of mind. Her sallow face flushed, her lip trembled, and she slewed round as far as her chair would permit her. Meanwhile Mr. Cargill, redder than before, went on contentedly with his dinner. ”

“ Her gaze dwelt tenderly on his startled eyes.
“I feel that you are the first real man I have ever known, Mr. Carrigan.”
“The devil you do!”
“Yes. All the men I have met have been so superficial. But you are like your own great West, Mr. Carrigan, with a heart as wide as the desert and as open as the sky. I feel it. Am I foolish to tell you this?”
Carrigan loosened his bandanna.
“Jac, are you goin’ to pull this sort of a line on all the boys?” he asked hoarsely.
“Sure I am. Why not? Don’t it get by?”
“There’ll be gun-play before the night’s over, you c’n lay that ten to one.” ”

“ Instantly the sweating fireman jerked his fire-door open, and the four pairs of eyes in the flyer’s cab were all fixed upon the motionless red dot over the track when Cargill sounded his second call.
While the whistle echoes were still yelling in the surrounding hills the climax came. Out of the station door darted a man with a red lantern. Cargill pounced upon the throttle, and in the same second the brakes went into the emergency notch with a jerk that flung the superintendent and the fireman against the boiler-head and slammed the guest unceremoniously into the cab corner. ”

“ I had no intention of insulting the worthy man, I give my word. I must have my joke, sir. No harm meant." And he nodded at John Paul, who looked as if he would sink through the floor. "Robert Carvel is as testy as the devil with the gout, and you are not unlike him in feature."
"He is no relation of mine," I replied, undecided whether to laugh or be angry. And then I added, for I was very young, "I am an American, and heir to Carvel Hall in Maryland."
"Lord, lord, I might have known," exclaimed he. "Once I had the honour of dining with your Dr. Franklin, from Pennsylvania. ”

“ The superstitious would doubtless affirm that the Fates had sent him one warning and, angered at his refusal to accept it, had determined to [78] drive home the lesson of his own impotence. For when he arrived at his chambers he found a cablegram from Paris awaiting him.
"Hullo, this must be from Uncle Peter!" he exclaimed, as he tore open the envelope.
"Fear uncle dying. Come at once.—Machell."
Machell was the elder Cargill's secretary, and young Cargill was the old man's heir.
It was not until he was in the boat-train that he realised that he was about to cross the sea. ”

“ Cargill, as we believe it may chance to other men much subject to absence of mind, that, contrary to their wont, and much after the manner of a sunbeam suddenly piercing a deep mist, and illuminating one particular object in the landscape, some sudden recollection rushes upon them, and seems to compel them to act under it, as under the influence of complete certainty and conviction. ”

“ It was foolish not to have a radio properly tuned when Cargill spoke. He was saying:
"—and so under the banner of complete solidarity, we will march forward, a solid phalanx against which no force can stand. Now that our own house is swept clean of vermin—rid forever of carrion like Lenster and his ilk, we can—"
Pardeau had traveled swiftly through the streets at the high speed reserved for higher servants of the New State. Lesser servants of the New State had learned caution and thus no regrettable deaths or maimings occurred; the lesser servants having grown wary and fleet of foot. ”

“ Cargill, like Douglas, was a minister: he had received a good education at Aberdeen and [Pg 79] Saint Andrews, but had soon fallen into disgrace for the disloyalty and virulence of his language. In a sermon on the anniversary of the Restoration he had declared from his pulpit that the King's name should "stink while the world stands for treachery, tyranny, and lechery." ”

“ Manners. Dolly gave a little cry when she saw me.
"Oh! Richard, I am so glad you are here. I was wondering what had become of you. And Comyn, too." Whispering to me, "Mamma has had a letter from Mrs. Brice; your grandfather has been to walk in the garden."
"And Grafton?"
"She said nothing of your uncle," she replied, with a little shudder at the name; "but wrote that Mr. Carvel was said to be better. So there! your conscience need not trouble you for remaining. I am sure he would wish you to pay a visit home. ”

“ Cargill, living only for himself and his books, acquired many ludicrous habits, which exposed the secluded student to the ridicule of the world, and which tinged, though they did not altogether obscure, the natural civility of an amiable disposition, as well as the acquired habits of politeness which he had learned in the good society that frequented Lord Bidmore's mansion. ”

“ Though Cargill's very stringent views were not generally accepted by his countrymen, both he and his friend Cameron took a great hold on the popular sympathy and regard. Personally, Cargill was an amiable, kind-heart man, very self-denying, and thoroughly devoted to his duty. Wodrow ascribes some of his extreme sentiments to the influence of others. Among the people he seems to have won admiration for the profoundness of his convictions and the fearlessness with which he acted on them, when the result to himself could not fail to be ruinous. ”