But the moral of his discourse was always the sufferings, the wrongs, the troubles of the Roman Catholics, who had looked for better times under Mary Stuart's son; and gradually raising within the breast of the youth a feeling of warm sympathy with those of his own faith, and a distrust and abhorrence of the laws that made life well nigh impossible for the true sons of the Church.
"Ruined in estate, too often injured in body, hated, despised, hunted to death like beasts of the earth, what is left for us but some great struggle after our lives and liberties ?" concluded the speaker, in his half melancholy, half ardent way.

"Verily, when things be so bad that they cannot well be worse, then truly men begin to think that the hour of action is at hand.

Be the night never so long, the dawn comes at last.

And so will our day dawn for us--though it may dawn in clouds of smoke and vapour, and with a terrible sound of destruction." But these last words were hardly heard by Cuthbert, whose attention had been attracted by the regular beat of horse hoofs upon the road behind.

Although the track was but a sandy path full of ruts and holes, the sound travelled clearly through the still night air.
Whoever these new travellers were, they were coming along at a brisk pace, and Cuthbert drew rein to look behind him.
"There be horsemen coming this way!" he said.
"Ay, verily there be; and moreover I mislike their looks.