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THE RESTORATION.
There was "dancing and derray" in Scotland among the laity when the king came to his own again.

The darkest page in the national history seemed to have been turned; the conquering English were gone with their abominable tolerance, their craze for soap and water, their aversion to witch-burnings.

The nobles and gentry would recover their lands and compensation for their losses; there would be offices to win, and "the spoils of office." It seems that in Scotland none of the lessons of misfortune had been learned.

Since January the chiefs of the milder party of preachers, the Resolutioners,--they who had been reconciled with the Engagers,--were employing the Rev.James Sharp, who had been a prisoner in England, as their agent with Monk, with Lauderdale, in April, with Charles in Holland, and, again, in London.