I 2 MEMOIRS OF PERIOD VIII. wifely, after her manner. Thus it pleafed my God, to carrect The for my fins ; to balance my enjoyment ; and to teach to ac- knowledge him, in the formation of children in the womb.. The child being weak, was baptized by Mr Dawfon the fame day ; and was for a long time watched in the night, through the fum- krer. In that dear child's cafe, I had a fingularexperience often- der love melted down in pity ; as confidering herteeth fet on edge through the parent's eating of the four grape. After my father's death, his tenement in the Newton ofDunfe ;falling to me, by his difpoftion thereof in my favour, I thereby became liable to a burden of 1000 merks ; whereof 100 had been borrowed money, the reft allotted by him for the portions of two brothers and two filters ; my eldeli brother having long before received another tenement for his portion, and difcharged my fa- ther and his heirs. They having alto charged me with anaccount of his moveables, which I then poffeffed, or claimed, I took ad- vice about it : and being convinced in my confcience, that their defign was quite betide the intention of the dead ;,and that, in law and, juftice, I had a charge upon them, more than fuíilcient to balance the fame ; I refolved to elfay to fatisfy there my bro- thers and filters, by advancing their money as foon as might be. In purfuance of which project., T went to Barhill about thehar- veft ; . and the child having appeared to grow better at the quar- ter's end, took níy wife along with me. There I received a part of her portion ; for which I paid intereft to my mother-in-law till the year 1709, at which time fhe was removed by death : the re- mains thereof, force time after that, I received, being in Etterick. But that journey proved a very heavy one, for oui trial. By the way thither, my wife fwooned at Danfkin ; which feemed to be occafioned by rarn'.s mutton afforded us there to dinner. She re- covering, we accomplifhed ourjourney. And being" in Inzevair [in the'parith of Torryburn, Fifefhire], in her filters houfe, ona morning the lying abed after I was rilen, dreamed that the frw the child perfect, the natural defect beingmade up, and extraor- Binary beautiful. This making impreflion, as it could hardly mifs to do, We returned homeward as foon as conveniently we could. Arriving. at Blacks-mill, about eight or nine miles from home, in a little our hearts were pierced with an account, that our dear child was dead and buried. After which, we came home in great heavinefs ; and found, that that very day, and hour of the day, as near as could be judged, wherein my wife had the dream aforefaid, the child had died. Thus it pleafed the Lord, to exercife us with one afllietion on the neck ofanother: and, as I have often experienced, the world's laying their over- load above the burden from the holy fovereign hand ; fo it was afterwards found, that one ofour acquaintance had very unjuftly spoke to the griefof us whom the Lord had wounded. Being through the intereft of Mr James Ramfáy aforefaid, and other friends, chofen by the fynod to be their clerk, 4. entered on
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