ease
God to move you, I wish you would deliver this hand-message to him, not
as from me, but from the Lord."

The man of whom he complains, and threatens so sore, was bishop
Spotswood, at that time designed arch-bishop of Glasgow; and this
prophecy was punctually accomplished, though after the space of forty
years: For, first the bishop himself died in a strange land, and, as
many say, in misery; next his son Robert Spotswood, sometime president
of the session, was beheaded by the parliament of Scotland, at the
market-cross of St. Andrews, in the winter after the battle of
Philiphaugh, to which many thousands witnessed, and as soon as ever he
came upon the scaffold, Mr. Blair, the minister of the town, told him,
That now Mr. Welch's prophecy was fulfilled upon him; to which he
replied in anger, That Mr. Welch and he were both false prophets.

But before he left Scotland, some remarkable passages in his behaviour
are to be remembered. And first, when the dispute about
church-government began to warm, as he was walking upon the street of
Edinburgh, betwixt two honest citizens he told them, They had in their
town two great ministers, who were no great friends to Christ's cause
presently in controversy, but it should be seen, the world should never
hear of their repentance. The two men were Mr. Patrick Galloway and Mr.
John Hall; and accordingly it came to pass, for Mr. Patrick Galloway
died easing himself upon a stool; and Mr. John Hall, being at that time
in Leith, and his servant woman having left him alone in his house while
she went to the market, he was found dead at her return.

He was sometime prisoner in Edinburgh castle before he went into exile,
where one night sitting at supper with the Lord Ochiltry, who was uncle
to Mr. Welch's wife, as his manner was, he entertained the company with
godly and edifying discourse, which was well received by all the
company, except a debauched popish young gentleman, who sometimes
laughed, and sometimes mocked and made wry faces; whereupon Mr. Welch
brake out into a sad abrupt charge upon all the company to be silent,
and observe the work of the Lord upon that profane mocker, which they
should presently behold; upon which the profane wretch sunk down and
died beneath the table, to great astonishment of all the company.

Another wonderful story they tell of him at the same time:--The Lord
Ochiltry the captain, being both son to the good Lord Ochiltry, and Mr.
Welch's uncle in