he had
been before the meanest congregation), How he could be so confident
among strangers, and persons of such quality? To which he answered, That
he was so filled with the dread of God, he had no apprehensions from man
at all; and this answer, said Mr. Boyd, did not remove my admiration,
but rather increase it.

There was in his house, amongst many others who boarded with him for
good education, a young gentleman of great quality, and suitable
expectations, and this was the heir of Lord Ochiltry, captain of the
Castle of Edinburgh. This young nobleman, after he had gained very much
upon Mr. Welch's affections, fell ill of a grievous sickness, and after
he had been long wasted with it, closed his eyes, and expired, to the
apprehension of all spectators, and was therefore taken out of his bed,
and laid on a pallet on the floor, that his body might be the more
conveniently dressed. This was to Mr. Welch a very great grief, and
therefore he stayed with the dead body full three hours, lamenting over
him with great tenderness. After twelve hours, the friends brought in a
coffin, whereinto they desired the corpse to be put, as the custom is;
but Mr. Welch desired, that for the satisfaction of his affections, they
would forbear it for a time, which they granted, and returned not till
twenty-four hours after his death were expired; then they desired, with
great importunity, that the corpse might be coffined, and speedily
buried, the weather being extremely hot; yet he persisted in his
request, earnestly begging them to excuse him once more; so they left
the corpse upon the pallet for full thirty-six hours; but even after all
that, though he was urged, not only with great earnestness, but
displeasure, they were constrained to forbear for twelve hours more.
After forty-eight hours were past, Mr. Welch still held out against
them, and then his friends perceiving that he believed the young man was
not really dead, but under some apoplectic fit, proposed to him, for his
satisfaction, that trial should be made upon his body by doctors and
chirurgeons, if possibly any spark of life might be found in him, and
with this he was content.--So the physicians are let to work, who
pinched him with pincers in the fleshy parts of his body, and twisted a
bow-string about his head with great force, but no sign of life
appearing in him, the physicians pronounced him stark dead, and then
there was no more delay to be made; yet Mr. Welch begged of