rical allusion to "the Maiden," he kissed the fatal instrument, and kneeling down, laid his head upon the block. Colonel Sibbald exhibited a surprising gaiety, and, "with an undaunted behaviour, marched up to the block, as if he had been to act the part of a gallant in a play.”* An instance of the unfeeling levity with which such melancholy scenes were witnessed, even by those who considered themselves the ministers of the gospel, occurred on the present as on former occasions. Captain Spottiswood, grandson of the archbishop of that name, having on his knees, said the following prayer:-" O Lord, who hath been graciously pleased to bring me through the wilderness of this world, I trust at this time you will waft ine over this sea of blood to my heavenly Canaan ;" was rebuked by a minister who was near him in the following words :—“ Take tent, (heed) take tent, sir, that you drown not by the gate!" (way.) Spottiswood replied with great modesty that "he hoped he was no Egyptian," an answer which forced the base intruder to retire among the crowd to conceal his shame.

The execution of Captain Charteris, (the last who suffered) was a source of melancholy regret to his friends, and of triumph to the ministers. He was a man of a determined mind; but his health being much impaired by wounds which he had received, he had not firmness to resist the importunities of his friends, who, as a means of saving his life, as they thought, prevailed upon him to agree to make a public declaration of his errors. This unhappy man, accordingly, when on the scaffold, read a long speech, which had been prepared for him by the ministers, penned in a peculiarly mournful strain, in which he lamented his apostacy from the covenant, and acknowledged "other things which he had vented to them (the ministers) in auricular confession."+ Yet, notwithstanding the expectations which he and his friends were led to entertain that his life would be spared, he had no sooner finished his speech than he was despatched.

apocryphal excommunications, to which he gave no more place than our Saviour to the devil's temptations."-Relation of the True Funerals of the Great Lord Marquesse of Montrose.

• Wishart.

Wishart, p. 413. The practice of auricular confession seems to have existed to a considerable extent among the covenanters. It is singular that had it not been for the evidence of the minister of Ormiston, to whom the noted Major Weir had communicated his secrets in auricular confession, he would not have been convicted.-See Arnot's Criminal Trials.