of ecclcsiasticall writers called Venerabilis the comming of the Scottes into Britayne was not vntyll about the yere of Christ cccc xliij which was long after the comming of the Pictes to whose opinion though he was a Saxon I would soner assent then to the new fonde fables of our Scottishe Poetes framed vpō phātasie without auctoritie precedēt AND for the further profe of this Monarchie it is reade in the tyme of Lucius whiche was the firste christen Kynge of the Britaynes as is said afore ther were in Britayne .iii. high Prestes or Bishoppes Idolaters of the Heathen religion called Archiflamines and .xxviii. other inferiour Bishoppes of the same supersticion called Flamines In stede of whom this godly King ordeined as many Bishoppes or Christes religion thre Archebishoppes placinge the first at Londō the second at Yourke and the thirde in the citie of Legions whiche at this day is called Chester To the prouince of Yourke there belonged all the Northe parte of Britayne now called Scotlande with the orcades And notwitstanding all the mutatiōs happening in processe of yeres yet al the Bishops of those countreys came vnto Yorke to becōsecrated of the Arch bishop there and promised obediēce vnto him as to their Metropolitane hed bishop albeit by occasion of warres they were sūmewhiles letted so to do And of latter dayes that is to saye in the tyme of Henry the .ij. Kynge of Englande which was about the yere of Christ a M.C. .lv. the Englishe historie sheweth that Michaell Bishop of Glascow and after him Tothadus Bisshop of saincte Andrewes were cōsecrated by Thomas Archebishop of Yourk If my coūtreymen beleue me not in thys point let them beleue the Bulles of Paschall Calixte Honorius Innocentius Eugenius and Adrianus Bishoppes of Rome written to the Bishops of Scotlande so as any of theym were rebell or would not acknowledge the Archebishop of Yourke Primate of Scotland for their head Bisshop This I alledge to shewe that the two realmes at the first were not onely vnited in one Empire but also in one Religiō the superioritie wherof seynge it so longe continued in the English side proueth in that part a certayn kynde of subieccion in Scottes whyche I passe ouer But nowe hauinge sufficiently alleged to proue that al we were Britaynes at the beginning come of one kynde and liuinge vnder one Monarchie brokē by diusion and ciuil discorde as is shewed before there restethe to disproue the fayned alligacions of the cōtrary part which cōuey you frō Pharao the tyraunt of Egipt And as it is to cōiecture if their willes might take place thei would bryng you vnder the seruitude of Egypte again But before I touche the argumēt according to my promisse at the beginning I must in part disclose the aucthors therof whose vntrouthes though I passe ouer yet will they bewrey it them selfes for it is not vnknowē what persons they be that take vpon them to write stories and Cronicles both in England Scotlande which for the more parte be Monkes and Fryers suche as in name professe Religion beyng in dede the peruerters of all true Religion These men issuyng from the prince of darkenesse brougte vp in darkenes maynteined by darkenes seke nothing so muche as to kepe the worlde in darkenes not without cause for if their state shuld come to light the people should espye howe they are plantes not planted by the heauenly Father but to be pulled vp by the rootes Which thīg beīg well perceiued by the most noble king of immortal memory Henry the VIII of Englande like a prince no lesse Godly then prudent cleuyng in that part to Christes worde weded out of his realme those wicked plantes not onely unprofitable to his commō wealth but also enemies to all veritie and true Religion whose example if we of Scotlande had the grace to folow I would nothyng dispaire of an honorable and Godly concorde betwene bothe realmes in shorte time that without suche warre and effusion of bloud as this deuillish generacion hath procured But to the purpose these men I saie after sthā was let lose had filled the whole world full of tumult sediciō ragyng with fire sworde against the Gospel which euen then began to geue light in Britain as Oules not apperyng in the day nesteled thēselfes in the nighte of that ignoraūt worlde hauyng as mete a tyme to crepe into the consciēces of the simple Britaynes as euer Saxons or Danes had to inuade their lād and countrey So apperyng to theim with a visor of simplicitie and holines semyng lābes outwardly and neuerthelesse Wolues inwardlie gat credite of vertue and Godlinesse And seeyng the Coccle whiche their father Sathan had sowen emong the Corne so faire commyng vp because the haruest should be weedes watered the yearth with suche abundante showers of lyes and fables that the wedes ouergrowying the corne the cropp was accordyng to the seede and with suche kynde of breade haue thei fedde the silly people vtteryng their dreames and muencions in stede of trouthes verities For as Kytes bryng furthe no culuers no more can the father of falshed bryng furthe children of truthe qualis pater talis filius thei then beyng the impes of so euill a tree muste of congruence bryng furthe fruite like to them selfes whiche was well sene in those dayes For what through mischiefe mortalitie raised by theim on the one side And what through preaching lies phantasies on the other side not only Gods woorde but also all other knowledge hath been obscured whereof ensued vniuersal ignoraūce who being ioyned with error brought furth an vnhappie babe called contenciō whō thei haue moste tēderly fostered euer since not onely ministryng matter thereof in pulpittes and stoles but also in their stories and chronicles myngelyng the same with so many sedicious falshodes as it is in doubte whether the lines or lies bee mo in number And because it were long to reherse al their lesynges and vanities beyng to many to be well numbered and to apparaunt to be hidden for all bee poudered with like peper yet in the Scottishe story a greate part of their practises is to bee seen and that euē at the very beginnyng wher at if thei stumble what shall we iudge of the reste If the matter wer onely Poetical or upon desire to shewe an auncient beginnyng it might happely be borne and yet scarse in a storie the law whereof is to affirme nothyng that is false to hyde nothyng that is true neither to bee ledde with fauor ne hatered But seeyng the thyng is doen of a sette purpose for norishyng diuision in the twoo Realmes I cannot ouer passe it with silence GATHELVS sonne of Cecrops kyng of Athens or Argiues beeyng banished oute of Grece with certain other fugitiues cam into Egipt in the time of the greate tyraunt Pharao whiche persecuted the childrē of Israell In his daies the Mootes entered into Egipt and had broughte the lande vnto
neither came in by conquest ne reigned ouer any people but occupied a wast part of the land not beynge inhabited as in the thirde Chapiter of his Chronicle appereth But how standeth that with reason that Britayne beyng inhabited by the space of vi C. yeres afore their comyng suche a countrey shoulde lie desert and especially vpon the sea costes Whiche liyng open to other landes and sonest sene by theim that saile muste of likelyhode haue inhabiters before the inner parte of the countrey I saie no more but Mendacem oportet esse memorem He that should tell a lye had nede to haue good memory least his matter appere like a Meremaide beginnyng with a woman and ending with a Fishe as when the ende of the tale is repugnauÌ„t to the beginnyng and the middes agreable to neither of bothe And doubteles it is no smal masterie to hide a lie for apparrell hym neuer so faire his ragges will appeare packe him neuer so close the buÌ„dell will breake write hym or speake hym and his aucthor is bewraied as a Ratte is by squekyng And though he bee allowed for a ceason yet at the ende tyme will trie hym whereof ensueth greate preiudice to the author For though he saâ—e afterwardes true none will beleue hym IF I shoulde here entre into declaracion of the righte title wherby the kynges of England claime to be superior lordes of Scotland I should of some be noted rather a confouÌ„der of our liberties and fredomes then a conseruator which name I had late But for somuche as the same is so exactelie set furthe in an Englishe boke put in Printe in the yere of oure Lorde .1542 at the beginninge of these warres called A DECLARATION conteynyng the iust causes and consideracions of this presente warre with the Scottes wherin alsoo appereth the true and right title that the kynges most royall maiestie hath to the souerayntie of Scotlande as nothynge can be sayde more in so fewe woordes I will referre all indifferent readers to the same booke thinkinge it nedelesse to speÌ„de any more time in a matter so well proued Neuerthelesse I will somewhat touche a point or two to geue occasion to all suche my contreymeÌ„ as minde the honor and quiet of Scotlande to conferre my saiynges with our histories and to iudge the matter without affeccion Whereof settinge a parte the order deuised by Brutus at the first concerning the diuision of Brytayne betwene his sonnes with the Superioritie supposed in the eldest and subiectioÌ„ of the other two pretermitting also the conquest of the whoole Islande by Romaines and the title deriued frome the greate Constantine letting passe also the sundry homages and recognicions of subieccion made to Arthur and other kynges of the Britaynes and after him to Osbright and the Saxon Kynges successiuely whiche be at large expressed in the Englishe and Briton histories and affirmed also by Marianus our countryman whose aurthoritie is not light if all these were of no credite as they must nedes be of great howe soeuer we esteme them yet in my iudgemeÌ„t our awn writers wherin they labor most to impugne the cause of England do moste aduaunce it and therfore in thys parte I will grounde me vpon them They agre al vpon .xviii. homages knowledges of subieccion and allegiauÌ„ce made by the kynges of Scotland successiuely vnto the kinges of Englande and many of them within late memorie Which homages though some of them either folowing their phantaseis or fearing to offende our kynges alledge to haue been done somewhiles for Cumberland somewhiles for the Erledome of HuÌ„tingdon Yet the time coÌ„sidered they declare that such actes were doone by oure kynges afore any of the sayde Erledomes were in their possessioÌ„ wherby they must be vnderstande absolutely done for the realme of Scotlande and in that pointe I referre you vnto the readinge of Marianus And of latter dayes synce that those Erledomes were taken from vs by EnglishmeÌ„ emong other kynge Iames the first did homage to kyng HeÌ„ry the fourthe of Englande The woordes and fourme of whose homage who so liste to peruse shall well perceiue the same to haue been made neither for any of those Erledomes neither yet for any other holde but merely for the crowne of Scotlande whiche aswel he as other knowledged to hold of the king of Englande as superior lorde The recordes remaine the seales subscriptions be so many so auncient and so faire as cannot lightelie be counterfaicte But some peradueÌ„ture will say that many of those homages were done by force and compulsion I aunswere thoughe it might be that some of theim were soo done yet all could not be For our Cronicles specifie that those .xviii. kiÌ„ges were in Englande which no maÌ„ can iudge to haue come all thither by force and all those dyd homage there and those homages well nere all appere to haue been made for the croune of Scotlande if we beleue the recordes of Englande And if any saye that they be counterfeited I thinke it soner said then proued And touching the compulsion and force I saye thoughe some of our kynges might be coÌ„ pelled by feare yet howe coulde all be or coulde an whole Parliament be compelled Is it not manifest that when question arose vpon the title of the croune of Scotlande betwene Balliol Brus and Hastynges was it not decided by Edward the fyrst king of Englande as competent iudge in that case But here it is sayde agayn that he was iudge in that case not of righte but by consente of the parties Then loke well to the woordes of the compromisse which nameth him superior lord of Scotland And this was done in Parliamente by consente of the thre estates which of likelyhoode could not be all compelled In which cause I am partely ashamed of the impudeÌ„t vanitie of our writers whiche raile without reason agaynst the iudgemeÌ„t of Edward in that plea as corrupte false This I saie that if the Iudgement were to be geuen agayne neither Mynos Lycurgus nor Salo mon whose iudgementes in histories be so celebrate dyd euer geue a more true a more perfect or a more rightfull sentence either by the ciuile lawes or by the practise and custome of Scotlande or any other reasonable lawe and take the case euen as they propone it But then we haue an other euasion which is to alledge prescripcion because those homages haue not been done within memorie To that I aunswere that thoughe prescripcion serued in that case as it doth not yet the warres made from tyme to tyme counteruaile a possession thereof In whiche pointe lette vs be well aduised what we saye leaste by fleynge the smoke we fall into the fyre For once admittinge hym superiour kynge no prescripcion wil serue agaynst hym The texte is common and no more common then allowed almoste in all lawes Nullum tempus occurrit Regi Time cannot preiudice a Kyng MOREOVER I note this that the Kynges of Englande would neuer make
peace with vs perpetually neither as lawfull enemies but admitted a truce or an intermission of warr for a tyme alwaies exceptyng Lorne and Lundie and with a caution to saue their title and right Our awne Recordes and registers approue this howbeit let no man iudge that myne entent is herin to pleade the cause of Englande for that I neither can doo ne professe to doo but onely to geue light to suche as liste to seke that the matter is not so cleare on our side as oure writers would haue it seme and therfore I would that men should weigh the querell indifferently and without affeccioÌ„ and not to leane more on the one side then on the other For the title which I alledge is neither deuised vpon phantasie worne out with age introduced by conquest ne enforced with feâ—â—re or compulsion but grounded vpon truth dooen within memory wrought by consente and agreyng to all iustice equitie lawe pacte and promise not doen in priuate but openly and not by a â—ew but by a multitude vpon a greate deliberacion and that in parliameÌ„t whiche title enduceth no feruitude but fredome libertie concord and quietnesse and serueth aswell for Scotlande as Englande makyng equalitie without supertoritie AT the parliament holden at Edinbrough immediatly after the death of our last kyng wher al the lordes thother states and orders of our realme wer assembled sauing the Erle of Arguyle that appered there by his proctor sir Ihou CaÌ„mell The mariage betwene our Princes and the kynges maiestie of EnglaÌ„d kyng Edward the VI. then beyng prince was fully concluded by aucthoritie of the same Parliament al thassentes of the said states and Orders concurryng therunto The whiche for more faithe testimony of the thyng was also confirmed by writing vnder the greate seale of Scotlande Maie there be any thyng of greater aucthoritie force or euidence any title more righteous then this graunted not by our auncestors but by our selfes and to a prince now liuyng not in tyme oute of mynde but now these so fewe yers freshely paste not rashely or sodainly but by greate and deliberate aduisemeÌ„t and the same not of a fewe but of all the states of the realme asseÌ„bled not at al aduentures but soleÌ„pnely in parameÌ„t a thing no doubt instilled from the almightie and the same our moste merciful god into the mindes of the workers thereof to haue set an end to al the discord of bothe realmes by that vnion and knot of mariage And what madnes or deuill O moste dere couÌ„treimeÌ„ hath so moued or rather distracte our myndes eftsones to take weapoÌ„ in hand and the same against oure promises fidelities honoures and othes hauyng on oure side no good grounde honestie reason ne any iuste respecte but onely of the prouocacion of the deuil the pope and his rable of religious men as thei would seme to be specially those whom we cal our auncient frendes where their are in deede our auncient enemies the Frenchemen And when we shall haue well coÌ„sidered this attonement with Englande compared the same with the league of FrauÌ„ce and well weighed thententes endes of bothe we shall perceiue the the one calleth vs to an euerlasting peace quietnes and the other hath and will kepe vs if wee forsake it not in tyme in coÌ„tinual miserie and warres And that maie we easily iudge in repeting from the beginnyng the causes of the one and of the other The Frenchmen fearyng more and more the power of Englande whiche had so many tymes dooen theim so notable displeasures as not onely to haue wonne of them sundry battailes wherof for briefnes sake I reporte me to the stories but also for that the Englishemen haue as ye knowe these many yeres kepte foote and possession of ground in Fraunce did besides and emoÌ„g many other thynges deuise this one as a chief staye for theim to make vs of their faccion against Englande thinkyng therby at all tymes when either for iust causes Englande should haue to do with theim or thei with Englande wee should set on the backes of the English men or otherwise anoye theim either to force theÌ„ to withdrawe their armie out of Fraunce or els bee constreined for resisteÌ„ce or inuasions to diuide their power and so to be the weaker eueÌ„ as it hath come to passe that the Englishemen haue so been forced to doo when neuerthelesse it hath redounded to no lesse discomfiture of our nacion then of the Frenchemen their principall enemies An euident proife and triall whereof partely because thynges of farther tyme and memorie hauyng been so many and so ofteÌ„ nede not therin in to be narowly sought for and partly because this example beyng freashest in mynd maie if it please God worke moste best effect did right well appere in the first voyage of Kyng Henry the VIII a Prince of mooste worthy famous memorie against Fraunce when we inuaded England to haue hyndered his enterprise and doen there some displeasure if wee had might supposyng to haue founde at home but shepherdes priestes and women At one time we lost the feld and our kyng beyng otherwise a noble Prince and a valeaunte Knight besides an infinite nuÌ„bre of our countreimen few of the Englishe part wantyng kyng Henry at the very self same time wonne the battaill in Fraunce at the iorney of the spurres and besides that woÌ„ne also by plain conquest Turwayn and Turney Now when wee shall haue bothe coÌ„sidered our league with the Frenchemen and all the successes that haue chaunced to vs syns the conclusion of the same we caÌ„not recken how to aduauÌ„t vs of any one thyng wee haue woÌ„ne but of infinite losses misfortunes slaughters spoyles and vtter ruyne come thereby to vs and our countrey vniuersal The honor and profite if any be coÌ„meth onely to the Frenchemen whiche serue theimselfes of vs for their money for thinordinate gain wherof we do alwaies hazard our honoures lifes and countrey and haue lost our frendes naye rather beeyng a membre of the selfe body with Englande haue suffered our self to be diuorced torne froÌ„ the same and haue so far passed our awne reason that we haue in that behalf atteÌ„pted to do hurte to a part of our awnselfes if Gods goodnes towardes Englande had not so prouided that our power could not bee hable to aunswer to our misaduised willes And so farre did we estraunge our selfes that wee could finde in our hartes to become seruile and to bee as coÌ„mon hirelynges to a forrein nacioÌ„ For what other thing do we but serue theim for their money to our awne vtter destruccions to the spillyng of our awne bloud to the burnyng of oure tounes and to the waste and spoyle of our whole natiue countrey And at this do the Frenchmen laugh thei take pleasure sittyng at home in securitie excepte peraduenture thei sende a few of their cast souldiors of whoÌ„ thei make lesse accoumptes or estimacion then of so many shepe or hogges Howbeit