The Ayrshire Legatees

Before the ladies had time to say a word on the subject, the prudent

young clergyman called immediately on Mr. Micklewham to read the letter

which he had received from the Doctor; and which the worthy dominie did

without delay, in that rich and full voice with which he is accustomed to

teach his scholars elocution by example.

LETTER XXXII

The Rev. Z. Pringle, D.D., to Mr. Micklewham, Schoolmaster and

Session-Clerk, Garnock

LONDON.

Dear Sir--I have been much longer of replying to your letter of the 3rd

of last month, than I ought in civility to have been, but really time, in

this town of London, runs at a fast rate, and the day passes before the

dark's done. What with Mrs. Pringle and her daughter's concernments,

anent the marriage to Captain Sabre, and the trouble I felt myself

obliged to take in the queen's affair, I assure you, Mr. Micklewham, that

it's no to be expressed how I have been occupied for the last four weeks.

But all things must come to a conclusion in this world. Rachel Pringle

is married, and the queen's weary trial is brought to an end--upon the

subject and motion of the same, I offer no opinion, for I made it a point

never to read the evidence, being resolved to stand by THE WORD from the

first, which is clearly and plainly written in the queen's favour, and it

does not do in a case of conscience to stand on trifles; putting,

therefore, out of consideration the fact libelled, and looking both at

the head and the tail of the proceeding, I was of a firm persuasion, that

all the sculduddery of the business might have been well spared from the

eye of the public, which is of itself sufficiently prone to keek and

kook, in every possible way, for a glimpse of a black story; and,

therefore, I thought it my duty to stand up in all places against the

trafficking that was attempted with a divine institution. And I think,

when my people read how their prelatic enemies, the bishops (the heavens

defend the poor Church of Scotland from being subjected to the weight of

their paws), have been visited with a constipation of the understanding

on that point, it must to them be a great satisfaction to know how clear

and collected their minister was on this fundamental of society. For it

has turned out, as I said to Mrs. Pringle, as well as others, it would

do, that a sense of grace and religion would be manifested in some

quarter before all was done, by which the devices for an unsanctified

repudiation or divorce would be set at nought.