Page:History of the life and sufferings, of the Reverend John Welch.pdf/25

 was indeed a cadet, but not the linial heir of the family.

While he was detained prioner in Edinburgh catle, his wife ued for the mot part to tay in his company, but upon a time fell into a longing to ee her family in Ayr, to which with ome difficulty he yielded; but when he was to take her journey, he trictly charged her not to take the ordinary way to her own houe, when he came to Ayr, nor to pas by the bridge thro' the town, but to pas the river above the bridge, and o get the way to his own houe, and not to comer into the town, for, aid he, before you come thither, you hall find the plague broken out in Ayr, which accordingly came to pas.

The plague was at that time very terrible, and he being neceariley eperate from his people, it was to him the more grievous; but when the people of Ayr came to him to bemoan themelves, his anwer was, that Hugh Kennedy, a godly gentleman in their town, hould pray for them, and God hould hear him. This counel they accepted, and the gentleman conveening a number of honet citizens, prayed fervently for the town, as he was a mighty wretler with God, and accordingly after that the plague decreaed.

Now the time is come he mut leave Scotland, and never to ee it again, o upon the eventh of November 1606 in the morning, he with his neighbours took hip at Leith, and though it was but two o'clock tn the morning, many were waiting on with their afflicted families, to bid them farewell. After prayer, they ung the xxiii palm, and o with the great grief of the pectators, et ail for the outh of France, and landed in the river of Bourdeaux. Within fourteen weeks of his arrival, uch was the Lord's bleing upon his diligence, he was able to preach in French, and accordingly was peedily called to the minitry, firt in one village then in another; one of them was Nerae, and thereafter ettled in aint Jean d'Angely, a coniderable walled town, and there he continued the ret of the time he ojourned in France, which was about ixteen years. When he began to preach, it