again disappointed.

Having continued there four years, he removed to Stanton-hall, where he
found the country filled with papists, and the parish church with a
violent persecutor, one Thomas Bell. This Bell, though he was his own
country-man, and had received many favours from Mr. Vetch's brother, yet
was so maliciously set against him, that he vowed to some professed
papists, who were stimulating him on against that meeting, that he
should either ruin Mr Vetch, or he him. And, as the event proved, he was
no false prophet; for he never gave over till he got one major Oglethorp
to apprehend him, which he did Jan. 19, 1679.

After different turns, he was brought to Edinburgh, and Feb. 22. brought
before a committee of the council, where bishop Sharp was preses. The
bishop put many questions to him to see if he could ensnare him. One of
them was, Have you taken the covenant? He answered, This honourable
board may easily perceive, I was not capable to take the covenant, when
you and other ministers tendered it. At which the whole company gave a
laugh, which somewhat nettled the bishops. They asked, Did you never
take it since. Answ. I judge myself obliged to covenant myself away to
God, and frequently to renew it. At which bishop Paterson stood up and
said, You will get no good of this man: he is all evasion. After other
questions, he was required to subscribe his own confession, which he
assented to, if _in mundo_, without their additions; which at last
through Lundy's influence they granted. And though they could prove
nothing criminal against him, he was remanded back to prison, and by a
letter from the king turned over to the criminal court, which was to
meet March 18th. but was adjourned to two different terms after, till
the month of July, that sentence of death was to have been passed upon
him, upon the old sentence in 1666. Mr. Vetch, now finding sentence of
death was to be passed upon him, prevailed with his friend Mr. Gilbert
Elliot to ride post to London, where not having access to Lauderdale, he
applied to Shaftsbury, and got his case printed, and a copy given to
each member of parliament, The king being applied unto, and threatened
with a parliamentary enquiry, wrote a letter, and sent express to stop
all criminal process against him: which expresses, procured at last by
Lauderdale out of antipathy to Monmouth, who was minded to have
interceeded to the king for him, he was liberated under a sentence of
banish