The works of the Rev. William Thom, late minister ... - waughfamily.ca

410 LETTERS, TRACTS, tjV.lent pafficn, by which the exercife of their mi3erftandingswas at tliat time woefully damaged and impaired.The depofitions of the witnefles I will notinfert in this hiftory, both as the matters deponed onwere fo frivolous, that I fear it was a profanation tocaufe any man mnke oath about them, and alfo becaufeI have been informed that the whole procefs,with every depofition verbatim, is to be publiflied tothe world. However, the proof, as I have faid before,turned out extremely favourable for the defender.The indictment, as the reader will have obferved,confided of five articles : In the i ft, the ftudentwas charged with talking irreverently or impiouflyconcerning our Saviour^ in the 2d,-contemptu«eufly of the capital doctrines of the gofpel j in the3d, abufively of the merchants *, and in the 4th, ofthe ladies of Clutha ; and in the 5th, that he talkedcontemptuoufly .and difrefpe6lfully of the fcienc^s oflogic and metaphyfics, by calling them drowfy.When the counlel iiad feen the proof, he came nextday and pleaded the caufe with great fpirit and vivacity.He told the court, " They had brought tjiem^felves into a dangerous fcrape j that none of the expreffionslibelled were cenfurable by any law v/hat- 'ever ; that this was fo evident, that he and all theworld were convincedj ithat fome ether occt^t caufesmuft have been the ground of ihis inquifitorial profecution; that by a hardy phalanx on the bench, hisclient had been pointed out as odious, in order todraw upon Jiim the rage of every fort of fanaticsthat he had been ftabbed with the dagger of perfecntion,borne down by the hand of oppreflion, andblafted by the tongue of calumny : That therefore itbecame the court not only to aflbilzie him, but totake the moft effeftual method to inform the publicthat he had been injurioufly treated, and had neverbeen guilty of any of thofe things, which, by meansof thi$ trial, people might fufpect \ that if they would,