THE SCOTTISH COVENANTERS AND THE STATE OF IRELAND.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2513, 9 April 1881, Page 2

THE SCOTTISH COVENANTERS AND THE STATE OF IRELAND.

At the Literary Institute, Edinburgh, on January 12, Professor Blackie delivered a lecture “On the Scottish Covenanters.” There was a large attendance. He had, he said, great pleasure in speaking to them of the Scottish national heroes of the Covenant, because he believed that there were no persons to whom they owed more, and none to whom less justice had been done. (Applause.) The religious world had done ample justice, and in some instances more than justice, to the Covenanters, but in the literary world they had never received their proper place. On the contrary, in their West End drawing-rooms, which he sometimes entered (laughter) —it was not the Covenanters that were besung and bepraised, but the Cavaliers, who had nothing real or noble about them but their loyalty to kings who wished to make Scotchmen the serfs and slaves and flunkeys of those south of the Tweed. (Laughter and applause.) The very smell of Calvinism was hateful to the whole tribe of literary fellows, both in Edinburgh and London. In one of his own books he put some scriptural texts as headings, just to indicate what be would be at, and of course these fellows snuffed as if the devil with all his sulphur were underneath. (Laughter.) The only literary man who had placed the Covenanters where they ought to stand as Scottish men and heroes, was James Dods. The lecturer then gave a sketch of the leading events which occurred between 15G0 and IGBB—from the time the people exercised the sacred right of revolt down to the glorious Revolution —and commented on the “ rascality” of Charles 11. and the “pigheadedness” of James 11. with characteristic vigor. The character of Charles aud his Ministers Lauderdale and Middleton the Professor illustrated by displaying an amusing heraldic device, in which were quartered a sword, a key, the “ maiden,” and the thumbscrew. The shield was surmounted by a crown, mitre, and fool’s-cap ; the supporters were a tiger and a fox ; and the motto, vi et Mendacis (By force and by lies.) In order to show who enjoyed the joke, he would put the head of the Evil One in the middle of the shield—(laughter) —laughing, as they would see, at the • whole affair. Speaking of the reason for the persecution, he said that even if Episcopacy had all the divine proofs of being a part of Christianity, which it had not—(applause, and slight hissing) —for those who first preached Christianity had a great deal too much sense to waste their time about forms, or the putting of mitres upon the head of Episcopal wise men or Episcopal fools—it would have been right and proper to rebel against receiving it at the dictation of a king who had no more right to tell him how to teach a man what he was to believe than he had to tell him how to teach the Greek-class. (Laughter.) Accidental references to Church government in the New Testament, he believed, had more to do with Presbyterianism than Episcopacy. (Applause.) The Indulgence Act, he went on to say, not having been accepted by the men who had been fighting the real battle of the Covenant, persecution was stimulated, and the people in consequence reduced to desperation. They got into the state in which Ireland was just now. Having no protection from the law, and no hope there, they resolved to do justice to themselves. They would declare war partly in the open field, and partly, it might be, by assassination. Hence Drumclog and Moor. Now, Magus Moor was just the same thing in those days as the shooting of landlords was just now in Ireland. Ho did not defend assassination; he did not defend Mr Parnell, and he did not defend any Irishman who shot a. landlord or factor from behind a hedge—(applause)— but he should say to those people —“ You are reaping just what you sowed.” (Applause.) The Duke of Wellington, when he was in the Ministry thirty or forty years ago, said to these landlords—“ My lords and gentlemen, if you will be so good as to reside on your estates, and look to the people more than to your rents, you will do more good to Ireland than we can do by all the Acts of Parliament we could pass." (Applause.) If it had not been for the monstrous system of government Ireland by confiscation and absenteeism, there would not have been a single good man shot in Ireland at the present moment. And he said also in the same spirit that if Sharp was pulled out of his carriage on Magus Moor and murdered by the Covenanters, it served bim right. (Applause.) He thoroughly and cordially sympathised with the murderers. It was the rude revenge of nature; and when the law was not the minister of God for righteousness but the minister of the devil for lawlessness, he wanted to know why he should be called au assassin for taking the sword in his hand, and getting that justice at his hand that he could not get from the authorities, who ought to give it. (Applause, and some hisses.) The Professor then read a short poem he had written some time ago on visiting Magus Moor—the reading being prefaced by the remark that he believed Sharp was a blackguard, and a traitor to his country ; or, if he was not all that, he was a time-server and a sneak, which was not much better. In the poem these lines occurred :

Prate not of law and lawyers art When kingly sin is rife. The law is in the people’s heart That whets the needful knife.

He was not ashamed of having written these lines —let any man say that he advocated assassination if he pleased. He said again it served Sharp right, and it served all right who used the sacred authority of law for violence and oppression. Incidentally mentioningthe name of Beaconsfield, the Pro fessor excited considerable polit ica feeling, which he seemed to enjoy, by declaring that though he was a very clever fellow, posterity would never call Beaconsfield a great man ; and he added that he would rather manage a menagerie of wild beasts than be a King of England or Gladstone, the Premier, at this moment. In conclusion, he said that though the people in the time of James 11, might have swallowed genteel, diluted,, modified Popery in the shape of Episcopalianism —which was very much inclined to give its right hand to the Pope, but would scarcely condescend to look on a poor Presbyterian—they could not stand Popery—the Scotch had a conscience of their own and a religion of their own and if they had not acted as they did, those of the present day would not have been where they were. It was only forty years ago since John Bull — who was naturally an insolent animal

—(laughter)—backed up in this case, he was sorry to say, by Sandy, who was a narrow-minded, bigoted animal —(laughter)—made the concession of the Catholic Emancipation Act —that was that the Irish were entitled to have a conscience and a religion of their own ; and if the Irish had had the good fortune to have had a Bannockburn, a John Knock, and a noble army of Covenanters, they would have not seen Ireland in the condition in which it was just now- England wonld have respected the liberty and the independancc of Ireland, as she had been taught to respect the character, the liberty, and the independence of Scotland. And jet Edinburgh had a inonu ment to whom —? Charlesll (laughtei) —and in Parliament Square too. Oh, if he had the strength of ten hundred giants he would knock it down. (Applause.) And they had another to George IV.— (ironical laughter)—a fellow with no heart beneath his waistcoat because forsooth, he condescended to come down to see if ouch a place as Scotland existed in the world. (Laughter.) He hoped some day the people of Edin burgh would do justice to the great national heroes by erecting monuments to John Knox and the Covenanters. (Applause.) •