Old Gray Friar’s Church and churchyard wuz dretful interestin’ to us on account of a good many things.
Alice and I wuz extremely interested to learn that here wuz where Walter Scott ust to come to meetin’ in his young days. And to see the graves of his Pa and his Ma, and some of the rest of his folks in the old churchyard.
In this meetin’-house the National Covenant wuz signed in 1638. After listenin’ to a heart-searchin’ sermon by Alexander Henderson this paper wuz signed by the Earl of Sutherland, and all the rest of the folks who wuz to meetin’ that day. It wuz then took out into the buryin’-ground outside, and spread out on a flat tombstone—a fittin’ spot, jedgin’ from what come afterwards—and signed by crowds and crowds of the people. Some writ their names in blood, showin’ their willingness to die for the Faith.
The National Covenant signed by the Earl of Sutherland.
This wuz the Confession of Faith of 1580, drawed up by the principal Presbyterian ministers of Edinburgh. Them that signed it agreed to protect and preserve their religion even to the death.
And these Covenanters wuz persecuted and killed for their faith, and then, when they wuz in power, they wuz jest as cruel to their persecutors.
And all in the name of Religion. Sweet sperit, how can she stand it? But I spoze she made allowances for ’em, a-thinkin’ they wuz mistook.
Al Faizi looked down in silence on the stun with a railin’ round it where the Covenant wuz written. And finally he took out that book of hisen with a cross on it, and he writ quite a lot in it. What it wuz I d’no.
And as he stood in front of that monument, riz up there to the memory of the martyrs put to death for their religion, he writ a hull lot more.