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1(J LAND OF THE LINDSAYS.
grave, which, while the company rested on their way to the
churchyard, became suddenly so very heavy, that it could not
be carried further. In this singular dilemma, the minister had
courage to crave the aid of Omnipotence, and fervently ex-
claimed: — "Lord! whoever was at the beginning of this, let
him be at the end of it," when the corpse turned as marvellously
light as it was before heavy !
Still, though the Major and his evil deeds were hid from
mortal eyes, the parishoners were so prejudiced against the spot
where he lay, and the very spokes which bore him thither,
that none of them would allow their relations to be buried in
the former, or carried on the latter. Mr. Bonnyman, the old
eccentric schoolmaster already mentioned, is said to have been
the first to break down this barrier of superstition and credu-
lity, by giving strict orders, on his approaching dissolution, that
his body should be carried on the rejected bearers, and laid in
the same grave with the Major ; and, excited by curiosity, when
Mr. Bonnyman's grave was made, many persons went to view
the huge bones of the dreaded veteran, and even believed, that
amidst the clammy ashes of his once gigantic frame, they dis-
covered remains of the very dough with which he is said to
have been hurried out of existence !
Such are a few of the traditions regarding this dreaded son
of Mars, which, if but half as true as reported, are quite re-
volting enough. Doubting the existence of so heartless a mon-
ster, except in the excitable minds of the superstitious, and de-
sirous to find all positive trace of his life and transactions, we
have made considerable enquiry, but have failed to learn anything
of him until within the last ten years of his life. Happily for
his reputation, however, we have fallen upon so direct and
opposite proofs of the engagements and doings of his life during
that period, as compels us to believe that the demoniacal actions
imputed to him are purely imaginary, and have probably been
confounded with the well-known deeds of another, and certainly
justly notorious Major, the celebrated Weir (who was contem-
poraneous with Wood), the account of whose "Damnable His-
toric " has been a source of considerable remuneration to un-
principled printers and flying stationers, ever since its first
publication.
grave, which, while the company rested on their way to the
churchyard, became suddenly so very heavy, that it could not
be carried further. In this singular dilemma, the minister had
courage to crave the aid of Omnipotence, and fervently ex-
claimed: — "Lord! whoever was at the beginning of this, let
him be at the end of it," when the corpse turned as marvellously
light as it was before heavy !
Still, though the Major and his evil deeds were hid from
mortal eyes, the parishoners were so prejudiced against the spot
where he lay, and the very spokes which bore him thither,
that none of them would allow their relations to be buried in
the former, or carried on the latter. Mr. Bonnyman, the old
eccentric schoolmaster already mentioned, is said to have been
the first to break down this barrier of superstition and credu-
lity, by giving strict orders, on his approaching dissolution, that
his body should be carried on the rejected bearers, and laid in
the same grave with the Major ; and, excited by curiosity, when
Mr. Bonnyman's grave was made, many persons went to view
the huge bones of the dreaded veteran, and even believed, that
amidst the clammy ashes of his once gigantic frame, they dis-
covered remains of the very dough with which he is said to
have been hurried out of existence !
Such are a few of the traditions regarding this dreaded son
of Mars, which, if but half as true as reported, are quite re-
volting enough. Doubting the existence of so heartless a mon-
ster, except in the excitable minds of the superstitious, and de-
sirous to find all positive trace of his life and transactions, we
have made considerable enquiry, but have failed to learn anything
of him until within the last ten years of his life. Happily for
his reputation, however, we have fallen upon so direct and
opposite proofs of the engagements and doings of his life during
that period, as compels us to believe that the demoniacal actions
imputed to him are purely imaginary, and have probably been
confounded with the well-known deeds of another, and certainly
justly notorious Major, the celebrated Weir (who was contem-
poraneous with Wood), the account of whose "Damnable His-
toric " has been a source of considerable remuneration to un-
principled printers and flying stationers, ever since its first
publication.
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Histories of Scottish families > History and traditions of the land of the Lindsays in Angus and Mearns > (34) Page 16 |
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Permanent URL | https://digital.nls.uk/94869434 |
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Description | A selection of almost 400 printed items relating to the history of Scottish families, mostly dating from the 19th and early 20th centuries. Includes memoirs, genealogies and clan histories, with a few produced by emigrant families. The earliest family history goes back to AD 916. |
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