And now the ſcene of his life begins for to alter: Lut, before his bleſſed ſufferings, he had this ſtrange warning.
After the meeting at Aberdeen was over, he retired immediately to Ayr; and one night he roſe from his wife, and went into his garden, as his cuſtom was, but who, when he returned, expoſlulate with him very hard, for his ſtaying ſo long to wrong his health; he bid her be quiet, for it ſhould be well with them. But he knew well, he ſhould never preach more at Ayr; and accordingly before the next Sabbath, he was carried priſoner to Blackneſs caſtle. After that, he, with many others who had met at Aberdeen, were brought before the council of Scotland, at Edinburgh, to anſwer for their rebellion and contempt, in holding a general aſſembly, not authoriſed by the king. And becauſe they declined the ſecret council, as judges competent in cauſes purely ſpiritual, ſuch as the nature and conſtitution of a general aſſembly is, they were firſt remitted to the priſon at Blackneſs, and other places. And thereafter, ſix of the moſt conſiderable of them, were brought under night from Blackneſs to Linlithgow before the criminal judges, to anſwer an accuſation of high treaſon, at the inſtance of Sir Thomas Hamilton, king's advocate, for declining, as he alledged, the king's lawful authority, in refusing to admit the council judges competent in the cauſe of the nature of church judicatories; and after their accuſation, and anſwer was read, by the verdict of a jury of very conſiderable gentlemen, condemned as guilty of high treaſon, the puniſhment continued till the king's pleaſure ſhould be known, and thereafter their puniſhment was made baniſhment, that the cruel ſentence might ſomeway ſeem to ſoften their ſevere puniſhment as the king had contrived it.
While he was in Blackneſs, he wrote his famous let(illegible text), dame Lilias Graham, counteſs of Wigtoun (illegible text) here I have inſerted.
