undertook, as usual, on horseback, accomplishing it within eight days. He set out by Heriot and Torwoodlie, to Ancrum, where he saw the Earl of Lothian, and the minister, his colleague at Breda, Mr. John Livingstone. From thence he rode to Newcastle and Durham, and so on till he reached London at night, on the 27th of July. The account he gives of his residence in the English metropolis, and the persons he had occasion to see on public or private matters, form perhaps the most interesting portion of his Diary. In matters which had been intrusted to him by the Earl of Morton, Lord Lorn (afterwards Earl of Argyle), and others his' poor friends,' his business lay with the chief Officers of State; more especially the Earls of Middleton, Lauderdale, and Glencairne, whose influence he tried to On the 31st, he says, "I was taken to the King, and kissed his hand and did acknowledge the Lord in this, that I had seen his face in peace.' During his protracted stay, he lived on terms of intimacy with the Earls of Cassillis and Eglinton, and several other friends from Scotland. But he had to experience the vexations and irksomeness of waiting on at Court, with hopes deferred, soliciting favours in which he seems not to have been very successful. Among the Newbattle papers is a letter written by Brodie at this time, containing some allusions to matters of which he had the charge. It is not of much interest, but so few of his letters are preserved, that it may be added:

secure.

"MY NOBLE LORD,-This is the third to your Lordship since I came heere. My last was inclosd in a packet off my L. Lorn's, with ane answer to yours, which I delivered to the Earle off Crawfourd; whereby I gave your Lordship ane account off evrie thing recommended to me. Your æque will be made (as you desired) at the Thresurer's return; and he promises fair enough as to the rest for the future.

"The Patent, and what concerns your precedencie or designation off your Sone, must lie at present in all appearance. Onlie you are advisd to tak a right from the air male of the holl [whole] dignitie. I have been verie full in all thes things with my Lord your brother, and your other freinds. You want not unfreinds.

"Yours letters to your sister and Sir Tho. Cuningham were deliverd. I never could yet find the occasion to wait upon my Lord your brother, since the first time that I kissed his hands; for his being heere in Toun is uncertaine:

"As to your freind Doctour Nisbet I went to the citie of purpos to trie the Prerogative

;

Court anent the probat off his will, and extracted his Testament. He made Testament 21 May, 1661. The executors who confirmed are Jhon Keyes, James Wilkie, and Jhon Nisbet.

He hath left his wife the liurent off som houses and tenements, quhairoff he had some leases; and the liurent use off his household stuff, plate, and furniture. All these efter hir death are appointed to be sold by his executors, and the money to be given out on anuelrent for his two brothers behoof, equalli, and ther children (John and James Nisbet are the designation of his brethren), and to be payd to them as soon as the money is raisd. He has 400 lb. beside, wheroff one hundred pound [is] in the Earl of Lothian's hand. This he leaves to his said two brethren, equalli, and ther children, and the annual rent off the one half of this 400 lb. to his mother during her lyftyme; this money to be given out on interest by advice off Sir Jhon Nisbet. This is the substance of the wholl. What further you command me anent this or anie other thing shall be carefullie obeyed by your Lordships most affectionat and most humble servant,

At the end of August, finding himself suffering from bodily infirmity, Brodie writes, "I have some apprehensions of death, and knows not if I shall see my poor family again: let it be in mercy both to me and them.” This led him to serious reflections and resolutions, and he expressed his willingness to leave all that was most dear to him, if the Lord pleased to call him away. In this submissive spirit, he says:

"I die praying for King Charles, that God may bless his person and government, with lenth of days, peace, and abundance of truth.

I leave on God's care my deir and onli son, his wyf and familie and seed, my aged belov'd Mother, my child Grizel, her husband, children, and familie, my kinsmen according to the flesh, even thes of my Father's house. They ar a generation of uncircumcis'd lips and an uncircumcis'd hart. Oh! that God may forgive and tak away their guilt and corruption, may forgiv and reform them for his nam sak.

I doe not conclud of the tyme of my death: nor can I promise my self one day: onli I find frailtie, and desire to be found readie, and loosd from al my comforts, even my sweit children, my dear parent that bore me, my yong ofspring growing up, my christian belovd freinds, my natural deir freinds, kindreds and relations, my pleasant dwelling, houses, lands, rents, walks, woods, retirment. . . . I had as much gronnd of contentment in my hous, dwelling, freinds, neighbours, relations, countree, as much credit

among them as my hart could wish. My enemies that hated me, and for noe ill I did them, yet I doe pray for them all; and now desir to bidd all things created farweil. The offer of a world, a croun, a pleasant dwelling, to be assured to see thes com of me mani and honourable, to be in the cheif honour and plac in the world: I would desir to say to it (if Thou cal me to Thee), Begone! I desir not to delay one hour to enjoy al thes: yet desir to submit to His will if He think fit to keip me heir for 40 year; thogh I hope He minds good to me, stay I short or long.

His fit of sickness a few days later was such that "I was readie to give over; nay Dr. Wedderburn feard my case; yet as it were by a miracle (so did the Lord order it and bless the means) I was healed and recovered, and my sickness did not return, but past away at once;" on which he expresses his resolution of unceasing thankfulness.a

It would have been singular had the Diarist passed over in silence the English ministers whom he heard preach in the metropolis. It may in this place, however, suffice to notice, that after hearing the service in the Abbey Church of Westminister, accompanied with "so much ceremony of man's devising," corrupting the simple worship of God, he "desired to keep a due distance with anything that has not the authority or warrant from God." Yet soon after he once or twice acknowledges, "I found my inclination not averse from a form of Liturgy." The most important part of his Diary refers to his residence in or near London at this time, and to his intercourse with the Scottish nobility and gentry, attracted to the Court by the hope of preferment or personal benefits, and more especially with the four ministers who had come thither for consecration to the office of Bishop as the preliminary step for the establishment of Prelacy in Scotland. In a particular manner, he was on terms of intimate friendship with Leighton, the only one of the four about whom any interest continues to be felt. Their temper and dispositions coincided very much, and the notices which Brodie has interspersed in the Diary tend to confirm the general opinion, that that excellent man, whose writings will be always held in estimation, if not altogether dead to worldly affairs, was at least not chargeable with b Page 217.

. P. 210.

the ambitious and selfish motives of his apostatizing brethren, but was in some measure induced to accept Episcopal honours by a natural inclination to the forms of worship in the English Church.

On the 30th of September, 1661, Brodie writes, "I heard Mr. Leighton inclined to be a Bishop, and did observe his loose principles before, anent surplice, ceremonie, and Papists. I desired grace to discern what to judge of this, and if [whether] the Lord called me to speak to him or not." In reference to his opinions, he remarks, "He had a great latitude: Lord! deliver him from snares." A month later, the 25th of October, Leighton having dined with him, Brodie writes, " I perceived he was not averse from taking on him to be a Bishop. All was clear to him: civil places free from censures: he approved the organs, anthems, musick in their worship. He said the greatest error among Papists was their persecution and want of charity to us. His intention was to doe good in that place, and not for ambition. . . . I prayed for him, as for myself and was fear'd that his charity misguided might be a snare to him. . . . He said, he sign'd and swore the Covenant, and had these same thoughts then, That the Covenant was rashlie entered into, and is now to be repented for." Two days previously he had noted, "I heard Mr. Sharp and the Bishops of Scotland would not take ordination from the Bishops of England. I acknowledge the Lord in this." But this report was unfounded. These timeserving prelates soon got rid of scruples, which even Spottiswood and his brethren, who came to London on a similar errand in 1610, would not concede by admitting the invalidity of their previous ordination to be ministers in the Presbyterian Church, as a Church of Christ.

Again he says, "I met with Mr. Leighton, and anent his undertaking did express myself freelie to him." Having heard his opinion in favour of tolerating all sects and denominations, including Roman Catholics-opinions which Brodie thought were dangerous, he adds, "I besought him to watch, and prayed the Lord for him. I desired him to use his credit that the

ceremonies might not be brought in upon us. He said, he wish'd so. But he hoped they should be prest on none. Alace! after introducing, force will soon ensue. But, good man! he does not perceave nor suspect it."a In like manner, "I did speak with Sharp, Fairfoull, and Hamilton; and did perceave they were inclined to press the ceremonies: I said, that we were well before the year, 1633." On the 3rd of December, "I spoke to Mr. Leighton and found his satisfaction in the worship of England, and all the ceremonies of it, and I could not but be troubled. He preferred Liturgy, and set form to other prayer.' ." But Brodie again admits, "I found not that aversion from their Liturgy and some other things that I had had, and other godly persons have. Oh! that this be no snare to me." On the 24th of November, "I heard Mr. Sharp and Leighton were re-ordained [as Deacons and Priests], and scrupled at nothing;" Fairfoull and Hamilton having had Episcopal ordination before 1638, were exempted from this degradation in the observance of ceremonial order. On Sunday, the 15th of December, the four ministers were consecrated in Westminster Abbey. Brodie, in place of witnessing the solemnities of this ceremonial, and envying their feasting, desired "to exercise his soul with fasting," and he gravely and solemnly remarks, "We declare that this day the name of God was taken in vain: that we swore falsly in the Lord's name. We are condemning al that we have been doing and endeavouring for reforming the house of God; reproaching and raising a slander on our mother Kirk of Scotland, her ministers, ordinances, officers, as if we had none and were no Church, but dwindel from this superstitious form, and they only were a true Church, and al other Churches had noe power of their own officers, ministers, ordinances, ordor, government, discipline. These men ar they which did renounce and abjure what now they tak on them, and glorie in. How shall they be beleeved next when they preach or when they swear? They have dealt so falsely and perfidiously in

this. Shall not both they and we mourn for this ?"-It did indeed prove a

cause of mourning, as we shall have occasion to remark.