BeforePayne’sarresttheEstateshadbeenadjournedafteraSessionasimportantasanythathadeverbeenheldinScotland。
Thenationgenerallyacquiescedinthenewecclesiasticalconstitution。Theindifferent，alargeportionofeverysociety，weregladthattheanarchywasover，andconformedtothePresbyterianChurchastheyhadconformedtotheEpiscopalChurch。TothemoderatePresbyteriansthesettlementwhichhadbeenmadewasonthewholesatisfactory。MostofthestrictPresbyteriansbroughtthemselvestoacceptitunderprotest，asalargeinstalmentofwhatwasdue。TheymissedindeedwhattheyconsideredastheperfectbeautyandsymmetryofthatChurchwhichhad，fortyyearsbefore，beenthegloryofScotland。But，thoughthesecondtemplewasnotequaltothefirst，thechosenpeoplemightwellrejoicetothinkthattheywere，afteralongcaptivityinBabylon，sufferedtorebuild，thoughimperfectly，theHouseofGodontheoldfoundations；norcoulditmisbecomethemtofeelforthelatitudinarianWilliamagratefulaffectionsuchastherestoredJewshadfeltfortheheathenCyrus。
Therewerehowevertwopartieswhichregardedthesettlementof1690withimplacabledetestation。ThoseScotchmenwhowereEpiscopaliansonconvictionandwithfervourappeartohavebeenfew；butamongthemweresomepersonssuperior，notperhapsinnaturalparts，butinlearning，intaste，andintheartofcomposition，tothetheologiansofthesectwhichhadnowbecomedominant。ItmightnothavebeensafefortheejectedCuratesandProfessorstogiveventintheirowncountrytotheangerwhichtheyfelt。ButtheEnglishpresswasopentothem；andtheyweresureoftheapprobationofalargepartoftheEnglishpeople。
Duringseveralyearstheycontinuedtotormenttheirenemiesandtoamusethepublicwithasuccessionofingeniousandspiritedpamphlets。Insomeoftheseworksthehardshipssufferedbytherabbledpriestsofthewesternshiresaresetforthwithaskillwhichirresistiblymovespityandindignation。Inothers，thecrueltywithwhichtheCovenantershadbeentreatedduringthereignsofthelasttwokingsoftheHouseofStuartisextenuatedbyeveryartificeofsophistry。ThereismuchjokingonthebadLatinwhichsomePresbyterianteachershadutteredwhileseatedinacademicchairslatelyoccupiedbygreatscholars。Muchwassaidabouttheignorantcontemptwhichthevictoriousbarbariansprofessedforscienceandliterature。Theywereaccusedofanathematizingthemodernsystemsofnaturalphilosophyasdamnableheresies，ofcondemninggeometryasasouldestroyingpursuit，ofdiscouragingeventhestudyofthosetonguesinwhichthesacredbookswerewritten。Learning，itwassaid，wouldsoonbeextinctinScotland。TheUniversities，undertheirnewrulers，werelanguishingandmustsoonperish。Thebooksellershadbeenhalfruined:theyfoundthatthewholeprofitoftheirbusinesswouldnotpaytherentoftheirshops，andwerepreparingtoemigratetosomecountrywhereletterswereheldinesteembythosewhoseofficewastoinstructthepublic。Amongtheministersofreligionnopurchaserofbookswasleft。TheEpiscopaliandivinewasgladtosellforamorselofbreadwhateverpartofhislibraryhadnotbeentorntopiecesorburnedbytheChristmasmobs；andtheonlylibraryofaPresbyteriandivineconsistedofanexplanationoftheApocalypseandacommentaryontheSongofSongs。782Thepulpitoratoryofthetriumphantpartywasaninexhaustiblesubjectofmirth。Onelittlevolume，entitledTheScotchPresbyterianEloquenceDisplayed，hadanimmensesuccessintheSouthamongbothHighChurchmenandscoffers，andisnotyetquiteforgotten。ItwasindeedabookwellfittedtolieonthehalltableofaSquirewhosereligionconsistedinhatingextemporaneousprayerandnasalpsalmody。Onarainyday，whenitwasimpossibletohuntorshoot，neitherthecardtablenorthebackgammonboardwouldhavebeen，intheintervalsoftheflagonandthepasty，soagreeablearesource。Nowhereelse，perhaps，canbefound，insosmallacompass，solargeacollectionofludicrousquotationsandanecdotes。Somegravemen，however，whoborenolovetotheCalvinisticdoctrineordiscipline，shooktheirheadsoverthislivelyjestbook，andhintedtheiropinionthatthewriter，whileholdinguptoderisiontheabsurdrhetoricbywhichcoarsemindedandignorantmentriedtoillustratedarkquestionsoftheologyandtoexcitedevotionalfeelingamongthepopulace，hadsometimesforgottenthereverenceduetosacredthings。TheeffectwhichtractsofthissortproducedonthepublicmindofEnglandcouldnotbefullydiscerned，whileEnglandandScotlandwereindependentofeachother，butmanifesteditself，verysoonaftertheunionofthekingdoms，inawaywhichwestillhavereason，andwhichourposteritywillprobablylonghavereasontolament。
TheextremePresbyterianswereasmuchoutofhumourastheextremePrelatists，andwereaslittleinclinedastheextremePrelatiststotaketheoathofallegiancetoWilliamandMary。