ISABEL ALISON lived very privately in the town of Perth, and was of a sober and religious conversation. She had now and then heard Mr. Cargill preach in the fields, and some few others before Bothwell, but not very often — field conventicles not being common in that part of the country.
Upon her nonconformity at Perth, and speaking against the severity used upon some religious people there, she was seized; but nothing else could be laid to her charge, till she was brought before some of the magistrates, and, in her simplicity, voluntarily acknowledged converse with some who had been declared rebels. When the Government were informed of this, a party of soldiers seized her, living peaceably in her chamber at Perth, and carded her to Edinburgh.
The Acts of Indemnity referred to in this testimony were a Pardon and Indemnity, dated June 29, 1679, to all tenants and subtenants who had been at Bothwell, provided they submitted by a certain day; and a General Indemnity, July 27, 1679. Both are in Wodrow, of the latter of which he says, it was so clogged that it put no great stop to the harassing and spoiling of the country by the soldiers. — ED.]
THE LAST SPEECH AND TESTIMONY
OF ISABEL ALISON,
Who lived at Perth, and suffered at Edinburgh, January 26, 1681.
The Interrogations of Isabel Alison before the Privy Council:
“When I was brought before the Council, they asked me, Where did ye live; at St. Johnstoun [i.e., Perth]? I answered, Yes.
“What was your occupation? To which I did not answer.
“The Bishop asked, If I conversed with Mr. Donald Cargill? I answered, ‘Sir, you seem to be a man whom I have no clearness to speak to.’
“He desired another to ask the same question. I answered, I have seen him, and wish that I had seen him oftener.
“They asked, If I owned what he had done against the civil magistrate? I answered, I did own it.
“They asked, If I could read the Bible? I answered, Yes.
“They asked, If I knew the duty we owe to the civil magistrate? I answered, When the magistrate carrieth the sword for God, according to what the Scripture calls for, we owe him all due reverence but when they overturn the work of God, and set themselves in opposition to Him, it is the duty of His servants to execute His laws and ordinances on them.
“They asked, If I owned the Sanqunar Declaration? I answered, I do own it.
“They asked, If I owned the papers taken at the Queensferry on Henry Hall? I answered, You need not question that.
“They asked, If I knew Mr. Skene? I answered, I never saw him.
“They asked, If I conversed with rebels? I answered, I never conversed with rebels.
“They asked, If I did converse with David Hackston? I answered, I did converse with him, and I bless the Lord that ever I saw him; for I never saw aught in him, but a godly, pious youth.
“They asked, If the killing of the Archbishop of St. Andrews was a pious act? I answered, I never heard him say that he killed him; but if God moved any, and put it upon them to execute His righteous judgments upon him, I have nothing to say to that.
“They asked me, When saw ye John Balfour [of Kinloch], that pious youth? I answered, I have seen him.
“They asked, When? I answered, Those are frivolous questions. I am not bound to answer them.
“They said, I thought not that a testimony. They asked, What think you of that in the Confession of Faith, that magistrates should be owned, though they were heathens? I answered, It was another matter, than when these, who seemed to own the truth, have now overturned it, and made themselves avowed enemies to it.
“They asked, Who should be judge of these things? I answered, The Scriptures of truth, and the Spirit of God and not men, that have overturned the work themselves.
“They asked, If I knew the two Hendersons that murdered the Lord St. Andrews? [Andrew Henderson and Alexander Henderson, in Kilbrachmont, are among the twelve mentioned by Russel as concerned in the deed. — ED.] I answered, I never knew any Lord St. Andrews.
“They said, Mr. James Sharp, if ye call him so. I said, I never thought it murder; but if God moved and stirred them up to execute His righteous judgment upon him, I have nothing to say to that.
“They asked, Whether or not I would own all that I had said? for, said they, You will be put to own it in the Grassmarket. And they bemoaned me, in putting my life in hazard in such a quarrel. I answered, I think my life little enough in the quarrel of owning my Lord and Master’s sweet truths; for He hath freed me from
everlasting wrath, and redeemed me; and as for my body, it is at His disposal.
“They said I did not follow the Lord’s practice in that anent Pilate.
I answered, Christ owned His kingly office when He was
questioned on it, and He told them He was a king, and for that end He was born; and it is for that that we are called in question this day — the owning of His kingly government.
“The Bishop said, We own it. I answered, We have found the sad consequences of the contrary.
“The Bishop said, He pitied me for the loss of my life. I told him, He had done me much more hurt than the loss of my life, or all the
lives they had taken; for it much more affected me that many souls were killed by their doctrine.
“The Bishop said, Wherein is our doctrine erroneous? I said, That was better debated already than a poor lass could debate it.
“They said, Your ministers do not approve of these things, and ye have said more than some of your ministers; for your ministers have brought you on to these opinions, and left you there. I said, They had cast in baits among the ministers, and harled [i.e., drawn]
them aside; and although ministers say one thing today, and another tomorrow, we are not obliged to follow them in that.
“Then they said, they pitied me; for, said they, We find reason and a quick wit in you; and they desired me to take it to advisement. I told them I had been advising on it these seven years, and I hoped not to change now.
“They inquired mockingly, If I lectured any? I answered, Quakers use to do so.
“They asked, If I did own Presbyterian principles? I answered, That I did.
“They asked, If I was distempered? I told them I was always solid in the wit that God had given me
“Lastly, they asked my name. I told them, If they had staged [i.e., accused] me, they might remember my name, for I had told them already, and would not aye [i.e., always] be telling them. One of them said, May ye not tell us your name? Then another of themselves told it.