to death. Many poor peafants were ihot on moors, on the fhores'
or wherefoever their enemies met with them : perhaps enthufiafti
might poflefs the fufferers ; but an infernal fpirit had poflefiion of
their perfecutors. The memory o f thefe flagitious deeds, are pre.
ferved on many o f the wild moors by infcribed grave-ftones, much
to the fame effeit as the following in the church-yard in this city j
On John GrierJon, who fuffered Jan. 2, 1667.
f Underneath this ftone doth lie
Duft facrificed to tyranny:
Yet precious in Immanuel's fight,
Since martyr’d for his kingly right;
When he condemns thefe helliih drudges
By fufferage, Saints lhall be their judges.
Another on James Kirke, ihot on the fands o f Dumfries, lhall
conclude this dreadful fubjeft:
By bloody Bruce and wretched Wright 1
I loft my life in great defpight.
Shot dead without due time to try
And fit me for eternity.
< A witnefs o f Prelatic rage
As ever was in any age.
This place like moil other confiderable town in Scotland, has
its feceders chapel: thefe are the rigid preibyterians who poflefs
their religion in all its original fournefs: think their church in
danger becaufe their minifters degenerate into moderation, and
wear a gown; or vindicate patronage. T o avoid thefe horrid
innovations, they feparate themfelves from their imaginary falfe
brethren)
brethren ; renew a folemn league and covenant, and preferve to
the bell of their power all the rags and rents bequeathed to them
by John Knox, which the more fenfrble preachers o f this day are
ftriving to darn and patch.
I Here I firft found on this fide the Tweed, my good old mother
church become a mere conventicler, and her chaplain fupported
by a few of her children, difpofed to flick to her in all conditions.
I Enquired for the convent of Dominicans, and the church in
which Robert Bruce and his afifociates flew John Cummin,, Lord of
Madenock, and owner of great part o f the lordlhip o f Galloway,
fummin had betrayed to Edward I. the generous defign of Bruce
to relieve his country from flavery : in refentment Bruce ftabbed
him ; on retiring was aiked by his friends, whether he was fure o f
his blow, but anfwering with fome degree of uncertainty, one o f
them, Roger Kirkpatric, replied, I mak ficker, returned into the
Church and completed the deed. In memory, the family aflumed
a bloody dagger for a creft ; and thofe ’ words as the motto.
The church thus defiled with blood'was pulled down; and another
built in a diffèrent place, and dedicated to St. Michael, the
tutelar faint o f the town. Robert Bruce alfo built a chapel here,
as foon as he got full polfeffion o f the kingdom, in which prayers
were to be daily offered for the repofe of the foul of Sir Chrijlo-
tpher Seton, who was moft barbaroufly executed by Edward I. for
his attachment to Bruce, and for his defence of his country.
I Dumfries, was continually fubjeft to the inroads of the Englifh ;
and was frequently ruined by them. T o prevent their invafions
a great ditch and mound, called Warders dikes, were formed
from