Volume Ii Part 18 (2/2)
merciful clemency towards the youthful offenders; for that, although we had both mocked and set at defiance the statutes of holy church, he had hopes of our repentance and amendment: And with that he delivered us over to the officers of the church, whom he had trysted and suborned for that purpose. They said he was a good man, but that the offenders must needs suffer a heavy penance, in order that they might be again rendered pure and without blame, in the eyes of their fostering and protecting parent.
When Kell saw that she was betrayed and abandoned, her grief and despair knew no bounds, and she would doubtless have accused her master to his face had she been able to articulate aught distinctly,--but she fell into fits, and they hurried her away. We were confined to cells in different religious houses, but both in the same ward. It is well known what tyranny prevails here, and what vengeance is wreaked against all those guilty of breaches of morality, especially if those possessed of riches or power desire it; but it is nothing to that which predominates over the west country, where I then was. They fed me on bread and water, though I asked for fat flesh, and longed for it every hour of the day: and always when the people a.s.sembled to wors.h.i.+p, I was put in the juggs; that is, I was chained to the kirk wall with an iron collar about my neck, and every boy brought a rotten egg, or some filth, and threw at me, till I was all over bedaubed and plastered like a rough stone wall.
The men gave me a kick, and the old maids spit upon me as they pa.s.sed, but the young women looked on me with pity; and the old wives, before my time of penance was expired, espoused my cause, and defended me from the rabble. I heard them saying to one another, ”Poor fellow, somebody may be the better o' him yet. What wad the mother that bore him say if she saw him standing in that guise? Surely she wad think the punishment far outwent the crime.”
One day, just when I was about to be set at liberty, I saw my kind master speaking to some of the holy brethren, and was glad when I saw him, thinking I saw the face of the only man on earth that cared for me.
But he came with a different intent from what I supposed, namely, with the benevolent one of getting me hanged. He said he had missed some money out of his house ever since I came away; and though he should be sorry indeed to find any part of it on me, for his own satisfaction he requested to search my clothes in their presence, to which I submitted without reluctance, being conscious of my innocence. But he that hides knows best where to seek. It was not long before my kind master took out from between several of the b.u.t.ton-holes in the breast of my grey coat, two gold moudiwarts, three silver merks, and several placks and bodles.
In vain did I protest that I knew nothing about them; the brethren p.r.o.nounced me the most incorrigible wretch and vagabond that traversed the face of the earth; and, as their jurisdiction extended not to such crimes as this, they sent me off with the proofs of my guilt to Lord William for judgment and execution. I shall never forget the figure I cut that day when brought before Lord William, and accused. I was in a wretched state as to clothes, having stood so long in the juggs. I had been hungered almost to death, and maltreated in every way, and altogether looked extremely ill. He asked them to go over the charges against me, when one of the brethren came forward and spoke to him as follows:
”My n.o.ble Lord and benefactor, a worthy gentleman within our bounds of censure and controul, lodged a complaint with us against two of his servants that had been tempted by the devil to fall into lawless and sinful communication; and notwithstanding of all his admonitions and threatenings of church discipline, they not only continued in their mal-practices, but every day grew worse and more abandoned. He therefore prayed us to take cognizance of the offence, which, for the sake of their souls, and the general benefit of our community, we undertook.
Accordingly, my lord, as he suggested, we went disguised as strangers, and at midnight we found this same young gentleman lying snugly in bed beside our friend's princ.i.p.al maid-servant, the very maiden to whom he had entrusted the care of his children, one of whom lay in the bed with them. Think of the atrocity of this my lord, and look at the man!”
The judge did so, and could not help smiling.
”What do you say to that master?” said he, ”Is it truth?”
”Yes,” said I.
This answer made him burst out a laughing. ”Upon my word,” said he, ”you are a most extraordinary youth! Was the girl pretty, say you, monk?”
”The woman was indeed very beautiful, my lord.”
”She has been blessed, however, with a singular taste. I think the stripling may almost be excused for this crime.”
The monk then related the circ.u.mstances of the stolen money having been found on me, at which the judge shook his head, and said, ”Alak, it is all over with him. He is unfit to live. What do you say to this, sirrah?
Is it true?”
”Yes,” said I.
”True that you stole your master's money?” said he.
”No, I never stole it, but it is true that it was there.”
”What? you found it I suppose? Tell me the truth, did not you find it?”
”No, I never found it, nor ever saw it till it was taken out of my coat yesterday. I never had either gold or silver in my hand in my life.”
”Your woman took it and sewed it in for you, then, I suppose?”
”I do not know who took it, or how it came there, but there it certainly was.”
”Did you ever part with your coat to your sweetheart? Did you ever lend her it to mend, or leave it at home with her?”
”I have often on warm weather left my coat at home for three or four days rinning.”
”But you declare you did not take the money?”
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