Diary of Alexander Jaffray, provost of Aberdeen

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be prisoner in the city ; that so I might, by my phy-
sician's advice, prevent further sickness, so much
threatened by the manifold distempers my body is
under. The truth of this my condition, was wit-
nessed by a testimony under the hands of Dr. Cun-
ningham and Dr. Purvis, given in also with my pe-
tition. But this, my so just and reasonable desire,
was judged otherwise of by them, and refused, with-
out any reason, so far as I have learned ; but proceed-
ing, as I suppose, from the same hand that my first
imprisonment [that is, my imprisonment in the first
place] did, and the refusal of my other petition. The
Lord Chancellor [the Earl of Glencairn] being by
the Lord made use of, as an instrument of my afflic-
tion, without any just cause, as to him, or, for any
thing I know, to any man whatsoever. The LORD,
should He count with me, — ^just and righteous were
He, if I were consumed; but, blessed be God! he
has absolved, though they would condemn and censure
if they could. I was desiring, as I could, of the Lord
to forgive them, especially the Chancellor, whose
prejudice or other design, whatever it be, is, as I
suppose, the cause of all the present trouble I am
under. Though I desire to look to a higher hand than
his in it, and confidently to wait for another and bet-
ter out-get than he or they can hinder me from. — [No
doubt, he, in this place, anticipates being delivered
from the shackles of mortality ; pressed down, as he
then was, by bodily and mental conflicts, insomuch,
that he was ready to despair even of life.]
The Lord, who knows me well, knows well also
what need I have thus to be exercised ; the sadest
part of which exercise, is, the hiding of his face, and
shutting out my prayer, — than which there can be