The treatment of the Scottish Covenanters by the British crown under the Stuart dynasty in the seventeenth century is a subject to which little space has ever been afforded in history books, yet that story goes a long way toward illustrating why religious worship needs to remain free of state control. Written in the nineteenth century by R. M. Ballantyne, this novel is a sympathetic portrayal of what is termed the "killing time" in Anglo-Scottish relations. (Amazon)
Robert Michael Ballantyne (24 April 1825 – 8 February 1894) was a Scottish author of juvenile fiction who wrote more than 100 books. He was also an accomplished artist, and exhibited some of his water-colours at the Royal Scottish Academy. (Wikipedia)