Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1885-09-24

J., THURSDAY,
were condemned, and after being half
strangled, were thrown into the flames at
Greensde, and in the same year, Henry
Forrest was burned atSt. Andrews. In 1888
| Thomas Forrest, Friar Kylor and Friar
Breveridge were burned on Castle Hill, in
Edinburgh. In the same year Q53S) Jerome
Russell and Alexander Kennedy were tied
| to stake and burned in Glasgow.
Thus it was that matters reached that
pitch that it cost an individual his life to
speak above whisper doubtingly of the
prerogatives of the Pope. George Wishart,
one Of the best men, was apprehended, SUBJ
jected to a mock trial, condemned and on
the 2nd of March, 1916, led to the stake, a
rope around his neck and an iron chain
about his waist. Wishart died predicting
that Cardinal David ,Beaton, who gazed
from the window of his Castle upon him,
would, in a few days, be hanged out of the
same window, to be gazed upon as a spec
tacle of ignominy. This prediction was
fulfilled on the 2Sth of May. The death of
Wishart aroused the people and his castle
was taken and vengeance meted out to
David Beaton, who died as poltroon, cry
ing, ~ am priest-1am priest-by, by
all is gone" 49,, - y,fa
Thus matters continued until 1867, when
what is known as the first covenant was
subscribed in Edinburgh, on the 3rd of De-
cember. This bond was signed by some of
the most influential noblemen in the king
dom. The substance of the covenant was
that the individuals entering into it bound
themselves to maintain the gospel in OppO-
sition to Popery.
This covenant was not bond gotten up
by preachers, but by laymen. John Knox
was, at the time, absent from Scotland, and
so far as is known, had nothing to do in get
ting up this first covenant.
The line which separates Popery and Pro-
testantism became now, if not we'll marked,
distinct. The grand contest was fast ap-
preaching. The opposing parties began to
prepare for the death struggle. On the 1st
of September, 1858, the Popish party deter
mined to celebrate the anniversary of St.
Giles, the tute!ar Saint Of Edinburgh, with
more than ordinary display. 1t was arrang-
ed that the Queen Regent should grace the
procession. On such occasions it was GUS
tomary to carry, at the head of the process
sion, the image of st. Giles. This image
was, think, usually kept in the Holyrood
Palace. Before the day arrived some per-
sons entered the apartment in which the i'm
age Of the medieval Saint and tutelar Divin-
ity of Edinburgh was kept, stole it away
and threw it into the Firth of Forth This
only caused delay to the Popish party. In
old Greyfriars Church there wasa small i'm
age of St. Giles. This was sent for and the
triumphal procession advanced from Holy
rood through the principal parts of the city.
The display, we may safely imagine, was
grand; for although the people of Scotland
| hnr oil rio
"Full half of the wealth of the nation be-
longed to the clergy" Such being the case
they could afford to make grand display
in honor of their tutelar Saint. The Queen
Regent at length retired. Up to this mo-
ment all was comparative quiet, but no
sooner did the populace learn that her royal
highness had quilted the procession and
gone to her lodgings in Holyrood than they
rushed upon the Popish procession, with the
ungovernable fury of a mob, which, in an
instant, put an end to the pageantry of the
superstitous clergy. The first thing which
the populace attempted was to demolish the
image of ST. Giles, which, for the occasion,
had been borrowed from Greyfriars Church.
This image, seated on throne, had been,
during the day, carried at the head of the
procession on the shoulders of a number
of wel-fed priests. No consultation was
iCSCoo"ly' liz iii''SO wac P.'iSu uoNH,
broken into shivers, and trampled in the
dirt. The priests, cowardly fellows, fled in
every direction best they could, leaving
the image of their tutelar saint in the hands
of the mob.
A mob is a dangerous thing, but mobs
sometimes effect what, apparently, can be
effected by no other means How long ST..
Giles had been the tutelar saint of Edin-
burgh, perhaps no one can tell, with abso-
lutte certainty. 1t may have been for near
one thousand years. The mob, on the 1st of
September, 1858, broke the spell and ST..
Giles never afterward had any power or in
fluence, either in Edinburgh or any place
else. At the time the image of St. Giles was
broken into pieces, st. Giles Church was
what was known as Collegiate Church,
with provost, sixteen prebendaries, a Gu
rate, minister of the choir, four choristers,
a sacristan, and beadle. All these and
near three hundred others were supported
out of the public treasury. The Reforma-
tion broke up the den, and those who had
been living life of ease and infamy were
scattered. St. Giles Church was swept out.
Its forty-four altars were taken down, all the
trumpery of papal worship was removed.
For three generations the arm-bone of St.
Giles, incased in silver, had been deposited
in the Church as a precious relic. This, af-
ter being stripped of its silver case, was
thrown into the adjacent burial ground.
Nothing was left in the Church but the pull
pit and a few benches.