suffered in body in respect of that wherewith sometimes she was troubled in spirit She answered A thousand yeere of this torment and ten times more joyned unto it is not to be compared in the quarter of an houre that I suffered in my spirit I thanke my God through Iesus Christ that hath delivered me from that fearfull pain and welcome be this even so long as it pleaseth his godly Majestie to exercise me therewith A little before her departure she desired her sisters and some others that were beside her to sing a Psalme and amongst others she appointed the 103. Psalme beginning My soule praise thou the Lord alwayes which ended she said At the Teaching of this Psalme began my troubled soule first effectually to taste of the mercy of my God which now to me is more sweet and precious then if all the kingdomes of the earth were given to me to possesse them a thousand yeeres The Priests urged her with their Ceremonies and Superstitions To whom she answered Depart from me ye Sergeants of Satan for I have refused and in your own presence doe refuse all your abominations That which you call your Sacrament and Christs body as ye have deceived us to beleeve in times past is nothing but an Idoll and hath nothing to do with the right Institution of Iesus Christ and therefore in Gods Name I command you not to trouble me They departed alleadging That she raved and wist not what she said And she shortly after slept in the Lord Jesus to no small comfort of those that saw her blessed departing This we could not omit of this worthy woman who gave so notable a Confession before that the great light of Gods Word did universally shine thorowout this Realme At the first coming of the said Iohn Knox he perceiving divers who had a zeale to godlinesse make small scruple to go to the Masse or to communicate with the abused Sacraments in the Papisticall manner began as well in privie Conference as in Preaching to shew the impietie of the Masse and how dangerous a thing it was to communicate in any sort with Idolatrie wherewith the conscience of some being affrighted the matter began to be agitate from man to man And so was the said Iohn called to Supper by the Laird of Dun for that same purpose where were assembled David Forresse Master Robert Lockart Iohn Willocke and William Maitland of Lethington younger a man of good Learning and of sharpe wit and reasoning The Question was Proposed and it was answered by the said Iohn That in no wise it was lawfull to a Christian to present himselfe to that Idoll Nothing was omitted that might serve for the purpose and yet was every head so fully answered and especially one whereunto they thought their great defence stood To wit That Paul at the commandment of Iames and of the Elders of Ierusalem passed to the Temple and fained himselfe to pay his vow with others This we say and other things were so fully answered that William Maitland concluded saying I see very perfectly that our shifts will serve nothing before God seeing that they stand us in so small stead before men The answer of Iohn Knox to the fact of Paul and to the commandment of Iames was That Pauls fact had nothing to do with their going to Masse For to pay Vowes was sometimes Gods Commandment as was never Idolatry But their Masse from the originall was and remained odious Idolatry Therefore the fact was most unlike Secondarily said he I greatly doubt whether either Iames his commandment or Pauls obedience proceeded of the holy Ghost We know their counsell tendeth to this That Paul would shew himselfe one that observed diligently the very small points of the Law to the end he might purchase to himself the favours of the Jews who were offended at him by reason of the bruites that were spread That he taught defection from Moses Now while he obeyed their counsell he fell into the most desperate danger that ever he sustained before whereby it was evident That God approved not that mean of reconciliation but rather that he plainely declareth That evil should not be done that good might come of it Evil it was for Paul to confirme those obstinate Jewes in their Superstition by his example worse it was to him to expose himselfe and the Doctrine which before he had taught to slander and mockage And therefore concluded the said Iohn That the fact of Paul and the sequell that thereof followed appeared rather to fight against them that would go to the Masse then to give unto them any assurance to follow his example unlesse that they would that the like trouble should instantly apprehend them that apprehended him for obeying worldly-wise councell After these and like reasonings the Masse began to be abhorred of such as before used it for the fashion and avoiding of slander as then they termed it Iohn Knox at request of the Laird of Dun followed him to his place of Dun where he remained a moneth daily exercised in Preaching whereunto resorted the principall men of that countrey After this returning his residence was most in Calder whither repaired unto him the Lord Erskin the Earle of Argyle then Lord of Lorne and Lord Iames then Priour of S. Andrews and after Earle of Murrey where they heard and so approved his Doctrine that they wished it to have been publike That same Winter he taught commonly in Edinburgh and after Christmas by the conduct of the Laird of Bar and Robert Campbell of Kingieancleuch he came to Kyle and taught in the Bar in the house of the Caâ—nell in the Kingieancleuch in the Town of Air and in the houses of Uchiltrie and Gathgirth and in some of them he ministred the Lords Table Before Easter the Earl of Glencarne sent for him to his place of Fynlaston where after Sermon he also ministred the Lords Table Whereof besides himself were partakers his Lady two of his sons and certain of his friends And so returned he to Calder where divers from Edinburgh and from the Countrey about assembled as well for the Doctrine as for the right use of the Lords Table which before they had never practised From thence he departed the second time to the Laird of Dun and teaching then in greater liberty the Gentlemen required That he should minister likewise unto them the Table of the Lord Jesus where were partakers the most part of the Gentlemen of the Mernes who God be praised to this day do constantly remain in the same doctrine which then they professed To wit That they refused all society with Idolatry and bent themselves to the uttermost of their powers to maintain the true Preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ as God should offer unto them Preachers and opportunitie The bruite hereof spread for the Friers from all quarters flocked to the Bishops the said Iohn Knox was summoned to appear in the Church of the blacke
And albeit he was not the most learned yet was his doctrine without corruption and therefore well liked of the people At the Easter after Anno 1547. came to the Castle of S. Andrews Iohn Knox who wearied of removing from place to place by reason of the persecution that came upon him by the Bishop of S. Andrews was determined to have left Scotland and to have visited the Schools of Germany of England then he had no pleasure by reason that although the Popes name was suppressed yet his laws corruptions remained in full vigor But because he had the care of some Gentlemens children whom certain yeers he had nourished in godlinesse Their father 's solicited him to go to S. Andrews that himselfe might have the benefit of the Castle and their children the benefit of his Doctrine And so we say came he the time aforesaid to the said place and having in his company Francis Dowglas of Langnidrie George his brother and Alexander Cokburne eldest son then to the Laird of Ormeston began to exercise them after his accustomed manner Besides the Grammar and other books of humane Learning he read unto them a Catechisme account whereof he caused them give publikely in the Parish Church of S. Andrews He read moreover unto them the Gospel of Iohn proceeding where he left at his departure from Langnidrie where before his residence was and that Lecture he read in the Chappell within the Castle at a certain houre They of the place but specially M. Hen. Balnaves Iohn Rough Preacher perceiving the manner of his Doctrine began earnestly to travell with him that he would take the Function of Preacher upon him but he refused alleadging that he would not run where God had not called him meaning that he would do nothing without a lawfull vocation Whereupon they privily amongst themselves advising having with them in counsel Sir David Lindsay of the Mount they concluded that they would give a charge to the said Iohn and that publikely by the mouth of the Preacher And so upon a certain day a Sermon of the Eelection of Ministers what power the Congregation how small soever that it was passing the number of two or three had above any man namely in the time of need as that was in whom they supposed and espied the gifts of God to be and how dangerous it was to refuse and not to heare the voyce of such as desire to be instructed These other heads we say declared the said Iohn Rough Preacher directed by his words to the said Iohn Knox saying Brother ye shall not be offended albeit that I speak unto you that which I have in charge even from all those that are here present which is this In the Name of God and of his Son Iesus Christ and in the name of these that presently call you by my mouth I charge you that ye refuse not this holy Vocation but as ye tender the glory of God the encrease of Christs Kingdom The edification of your Brethren and the comfort of me whom ye understand well enough to be oppressed by the multitude of labours That ye take upon you the publike office and Charge of Preaching even as ye looke to avoyd Gods heavy displeasure and desire that he shall multiply his Graces upon you And in the end he said to those that were present Was not this your Charge to me And do ye not approve this Vocation They answered It is and we approve it Whereat the said M. Iohn abashed burst forth in most abundant tears and withdrew himself to his Chamber His countenance and behaviour from that day till the day that he was compelled to present himself to the publike place of Preaching did sufficiently declare the grief and trouble of his heart for no man saw any signe of mirth of him neither yet had he pleasure to accompany any man for many dayes together The necessity that caused him to enter in the publike Place besides the Vocation aforesaid was Dean Iohn Annan a rotten Papist had long troubled Iohn Rough in his Preaching The said Iohn Knox had fortified the Doctrine of the Preacher by his Pen and had beaten the said Dean Iohn from all defences that he was compelled to flie to his last refuge that is To the authority of the Church which Authority said he damned all Lutherans and Heretickes and therefore he needed no further disputation Iohn Knox answered Before we hold our selves or that ye can prove us sufficiently convinced we must define the Church by the right notes given to us in Gods Scripture of the true Church we must discerne the Immaculate Spouse of Iesus Christ from the mother of Confusion Spirituall Babilon lest that imprudently we embrace a Harlot instead of the chaste Spouse yea to speake it in plain words Lest that we submit our selves to Sathan thinking that we submit our selves to Iesus Christ For as for your Romane Church as it is now corrupted and the Authority thereof wherein stands the hope of your Victory I no more doubt but that it is the Synagogue of Sathan and the Head thereof called the Pope to be that man of Sin of whom the Apostle speaketh then that I doubt that JESUS CHRIST suffered by the procurement of the visible Church of Jerusalem Yea I offer my self by word or writing to prove the Romane Church this day farther to degenerate from the purity which was in the dayes of the Apostles then was the Church of the Iewes from the Ordinance given by Moses when they consented to the innocent death of JESUS CHRIST These words were spoken in the open audience of the Parish Church of Saint Andrewes after the said Dean Iohn had spoken what it pleased him and had refused to dispute The people hearing the offer cryed with one consent We cannot all reade your writings but we can all hear your Preaching Therefore we require you in the Name of God That ye let us heare the approbation of that which ye have affirmed For if it be true we have beene miserably deceived And so the next Sunday was appointed to the said Iohn to expresse his minde in the publike Preaching place Which day approaching the said Iohn took the Text written in Daniel the seventh Chapter beginning thus And another King shall rise after them and he shall be unlike unto the first and he shall subdue three Kings and shall speak words against the most High and shall consume the Saints of the most High and thinke that he can change Times and Lawes And they shall be given unto his hands untill a time and times and dividing of times c. In the beginning of his Sermon he shewed the great love of God towards his Church whom he pleased to forewarne of dangers to come so many yeers before they come to passe He briefly treated of the state of the Israelites who then were in bondage in Babylon for the most part and made a
within this Realme and of late dayes I have been accused as a seditious man and as one that usurpeth to my selfe power that becometh me not True it is that I have given advertisment unto the Brethren in divers Quarters of the extremity intended against divers faithfull for looking to a Priest going to Masse and for observing of those that transgresse against just Laws but that therein I have usurped further power then is given me till that by you I be condemned I utterly deny for I say that by you that is By the charge of the Generall Assembly I have all just power to advertise the Brethren from time to time of dangers appearing as I have power to preach the Word of God in the Pulpit of Edinburgh for by you was I appointed to the one and to the other and therefore in the Name of God I crave your judgements The danger that appeared to me in my Accusation was not so fearfull as the words that came to my Ears were dolorous to my heart for these words were plainly spoken and that by some Protestants What can the Pope do more then to send forth his Letters and require them to be obeyed Let me have your judgements therefore whether I have usurped any power to my self or if I have obeyed your commandment The Flatterers of the Court amongst whom the Justice Clerk then not the least began to storme and said shall we be compelled to justifie the rash judgements of men My Lord said Iohn Knox you shall speak your pleasure for the present of you I crave nothing but the if Church that is here present do not either absolve me or else condemne me never shall I in publike or in private as a publike Minister open my mouth in doctrine or reasoning After long contention the said Iohn being removed the whole Church found that a charge was given unto him To advertise the Brethren in all Quarters as oft as ever danger appeared and therefore avowed that fact not to be his onely but the fact of the whole assembly Thereat were the Queens Claw-backs more enraged then ever they were for some of them had promised the Queen to get the said Iohn convinced both by the Councell and by the Church and being frustrate of both she and they thought themselves not a little disappointed In the very time of the generall Assembly there comes to publike knowledge or naynous murther committed in the Court yea not far from the Queens Lap for a French-woman that served in the Queens Chamber had played the Whore with the Queens own Apothecary the woman conceived and bare a Childe whom with common consent the father and the mother murthered yet were the cries of a new borne Childe heard search was made the Childe and the Mother were both apprehended and so was both the man and the woman condemned to be hanged in the publike Street of Edinburgh The punishment was notable because the Crime was hainous But yet was not the Court purged of Whores and Whoredoms which was the fountaine of such enormities for it was well known that shame hasted Marriage betwixt Iohn Sempill called the Dancer and Mary Leringston sirnamed the Lusty what bruit the Maries and the rest of the Dancers of the Court had the Ballads of that age did witnesse which we for modesties sake omit but this was the common complaint of all godly and wise men That if they thought that such a Court should long continue and if they looked for no better life to come they would have wished their Sonnes and Daughters rather to have been brought up with Fidlers and Dancers and to have been exercised in flinging upon a Floore and in the rest that thereof followes then to have been exercised in the company of the godly and exercised in vertue which in that Court was hated and filthinesse not onely maintained but also rewarded witnesse the Abbacie of Abercone the Barony of Anchvermuchtie and divers others pertaining to the Patrimony of the Crowne given in heritage to Skippers and Dancers and Dalliers with Dâ—mes This was the beginning of the Regiment of Mary Queen of Scots and these were the fruits that she brought forth of France Lord loâ—k upon our miseries and deliver us from the wickednesse of this corrupt Court for thy own Names sake God from Heaven and from the face of the Earth did declare that he was offended at the iniquitie committed within this Realme for upon the twentieth day of Ianuary there fell rain in great abundance which in the falling freezed so vehemently that the earth was but a shot of Ice the Fowls both great and small freezed and might not flie many dyed and some were taken and laid beside the fire that their feathers might dissolve and that same moneth the Sea stood still as was clearly observed and never ebbed nor flowed the space of foure and twenty hours In the moneth of February the fifteenth and eighteenth dayes thereof there was seen in the Firmament battels arrayed spears and all other weapons as it had been the joyning of two Armies These things were not onely observed but also spoken of and constantly affirmed by men of judgement and credit But the Queen and our Court made merry there was banquetting upon banquetting the Queen would banquet with the Lords and that was done onely upon policy to remove her displeasure against them because they would not at her devotion condemne Iohn Knox. To remove we say that jealousie she made the Banquet to the whole Lords whereat she would have the Duke amongst the rest It behoved them to banquet her again and so did banquetting continue till Lent ever after But the poor Ministers were mocked and reputed as Monsters the Guard and the Affairs of the Kitchin were so gripping that the Minsters stipends could not be had and yet at the Assembly last past solemne promise was made in the Queens Name by the mouth of Secretary Lethington in the audience of the Nobilitie and of the whole Assembly who affirmed that he had commandment of her Highnesse to promise full content unto all the Ministers within the Realme and of such Order to be kept in all times to come that the whole body of the Protestants should have occasion to stand content The Earle of Murray affirmed the same with many other faire promises given by writing by Lethington himself as in the Register of the Acts of the generall Assembly may be seene but how that or yet any other thing promised in her name to the Church of God was observed the world can witnesse The Ministers perceiving all things to tend to ruine discharged their consciences in publike and in private but they received for their labour hatred and indignation and amongst others that worthy servant of God Master Iohn Craig speaking against the manifold corruption that then without shame or fear declared it self said Sometimes was Hypocrites known by their noted habits and we had
after in Seaton But at length by Bribes given to the said Lord Seaton and to the old Laird of Lethington he was restored to Saint Andrewes from whence he wrought all mischief as we shall after heare The PARLIAMENT approached which was before EASTER there began question of the abolishing of certaine Tyrannicall ACTS made before at the Devotion of the Prelates for the maintaining of their Kingdome of Darkenesse To wit That under paine of Heresie no man should reade any part of the Scriptures in the Vulgar Tongue neither yet any Tractate or Exposition of any place of Scripture Such Articles began to come in question we say And men began to enquire If it were not lawfull to men that understood no Latine to use the word of their Salvation in the Tongue they understood as it was for the Latine men to have it in Latine Grecians or Hebrews to have it in their Tongues It was answered That the Church he means the Prelats first had forbidden all Tongues but the three viz. Hebrew Greek and Latine But men demanded when that Inhibition was given and what Counsell had ordained it considering that in the dayes of Chrysostome he complained That the people used the Psalmes and other holy Books in their owne Tongues And if ye will say they were Greeks and understood the Greek Tongue We answere That Christ Jesus commanded his word to be Preached to all Nations now if it ought to be Preached to all Nations it must be Preached in the Tongue they understand Then if it be lawfull to Preach and heare it Preached in all Tongues Why should it not be lawfull to reade it and hear it read in all Tongues to the end that the people may try the spirits according to the commandment of the Apostle Beaten with these and other Reasons they denied not but it might be read in the Uulgar Tongue provided if the Translation were true It was demanded What could be reprehended in it And when much searching was made nothing could be found But that Love say they was put in the place of Charity When the Question was asked What difference was betwixt the one and the other and if they understood the nature of the Greek term 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they were dumb Reasoned for the party of the seculars The L. Ruthwen father to him that prudently gave counsell to take just punishment upon that knave David for that he abused the unhappy K. Henry Stuart in mo cases then one a stout and a discreet man in the cause of God and M. Henry Balneves an old professour For the part of the Clergy one Hay Dean of Lastarrik and certain old Bishops with him The conclusion was the Commissioners of Broughes and a part of the Nobility required of the Parliament that it might be Enacted That it should be lawfull to every man to use the benefit of the Translation which then they had of the Old and New Testament together with the benefit of other Treatises containing wholsome Doctrine untill such time as the Prelats and other Church-men should give and set forth unto them a Translation more correct The Clergie hereto long repugned But in the end convinced by Reasons and by multitude of voyces in their contrary they also condescended And so by Act of Parliament it was made free to all men and women to read the Scriptures in their owne Uulgar Tongue and so were all Acts made to the contrary abolished This was no small Victorie of CHRIST JESUS fighting against the conjured enemies of his Veritie No small comfort to such as before were holden in such bondage that they durst not have read The Lords Prayer The ten Commandments nor The Articles of their Faith in the Uulgar Tongue but they should have been accused of Heresie Then might have beene seene the Bible lying almost upon every Gentlemans Table The New Testament was borne about in many mens hands We grant that some alas prophaned that blessed Word for some that perchance had never read ten Sentences in it had it most common in their hand they would chop their familiars on the cheeke with it and say This hath lyne under my beds feet these ten yeers Others would glory O how oft have I been in danger for this Booke how secretly have I stollen from my wife at midnight to reade upon it And this was done we say of many to make cowrt and curry favour thereby For all men esteemed the Governour to have been one of the most fervent Protestants that was in Europe Albeit we say that many abused that libertie granted of God miraculously yet thereby did the knowledge of God wonderously increase and God gave his holy spirit to simple men in great abundance Then were set forth works in our owne Tongue besides those that came from England that did disclose the pride the craft the tyrannie and abuses of that Romane Antichrist The fame of our Governour was spread in divers countreys and many praised God for him King Henry the eight sent unto him his Ambassadour M. Radulph Saidlair who lay in Edinburgh a great part of the Summer his Commission and Negotiation was to contract a perpetuall amitie betwixt England and Scotland The occasion whereof God had so offered that to many men it appeared that from heaven he had declared his good pleasure in that behalfe For to King Henry of Iane Seymer after the death of Queene Katherine and of all others that might have made his Marriage suspect was given a sonne Edward the sixth of blessed memory elder some yeeres then our Mistresse and unto us was left a Queene as before we have heard This wonderfull providence of God caused men of greatest judgement to enter into disputation with themselves Whether that with good conscience any man might repugne to the desires of the King of England considering that thereby all occasion of Warre might be cut off and great commodity might ensue to this Realme The offers of King Henry was so large and his demands so reasonable that all that loved quietnesse were content therewith There were sent from the Parliament to King Henry in Commission Sir Iames Lermont and M. Henry Balnevis who long remaining in England so travailed that all things concerning the Marriage betwixt Edward the sixth and Mary Queen of Scots was agreed upon except the time of her deliverance to the custody of English-men Upon the finall conclusion of the which head were added to the former Commissioners William Earle of Glencarne and Sir George Dowglas to whom was given ample Commission and good Instructions In Scotland remained M. Radulph Saidlaire advertisements past so frequently betwixt yea the hands of our Lords liberally were anointed besides other commodities promised and of some received for divers Prisoners taken at Solway mosse were sent home free upon promise of their fidelity which as it was kept the issue will witnesse But in the end so well were all once content the Cardinall the
the said Cardinall the Earles Argyle Huntlie Bothwell the Bishops and their bands And thereafter they passed to Strevelin and took with them both the Queenes the mother and the daughter and threatned the deposition of the said Governour as Inobedient to their holy Mother the Church so terme they that harlot of Babylon Rome The inconstant man not thorowly grounded upon God left by his owne fault destitute of all good counsell and having the wicked ever blowing in his eare What will you do you will destroy your selfe and your house both for ever The unhappy man we say beaten with these temptations rendred himselfe to the appetites of the wicked for he quietly stole away from the Lords that were with him in the Palace of Halyrud-house past to Sterlin subjected himselfe to the Cardinall and to his Councell received absolution renounced the profession of Christ Jesus his holy Gospel and violated his Oath that before he had made for the observation of the Contract and League made with England At that time was our Queene crowned and a promise made to France The certainty hereof coming to King Henry our Scottish Ships were stayed the Sailes taken from the Rigs and the Merchants and Mariners were commanded to sure custody New Commission was sent to Master Radulph Saidler who then still remained in Scotland to demand the cause of that sudden alteration and to travell by all meanes possible that the Governour might be called back to his former godly purpose and that he would not do so foolishly and dishonestly yea so cruelly and unmercifully to the Realme of Scotland that he would not onely lose the commodities offered and that were presently to be received But that also that he would put it to the hazard of fire and sword and other inconveniences that might ensue the war that was to follow upon the violation of his Faith But nothing could availe The devil kept fast the grype that he got yea all the dayes of his government For the Cardinall got his eldest son in pledge whom he kept in the Castle of S. Andrews while the day that Gods hand punished his pride King Henry perceiving that all hope of the Governours repentance was lost called back his Ambassadours and that with fearfull threatnings as Edinburgh after felt Denounced War made our Ships prises and Merchants and Mariners lawfull prisoners which to the Broughes of Scotland was no small hership But thereat did the Cardinall and Priests laugh and jestingly he said When we shall conquer England the Merchants shall be recompensed The Summer and the Harvest passed over without any notable thing For the Cardinall and Abbot of Paislay parted the prey amongst them The abused Governour bare the name onely In the beginning of Winter came the Earle of Lenox to Scotland sent from France in hatred of the Governour whom the King by the Cardinals advice promised to pronounce Bastard and so to make the said Earle Governour First because he himselfe was borne by Betoâ— his fathers lawfull wife Elizabeth Humes being yet alive Next because his Grandfather was borne by Mary Stuart to Iames Hamilton when her lawfull husband Thomas Boâ—d was yet alive So the Earle of Lenox did not onely pretend to be lawfully next to the Crowne as the late King Iames the fifth did often declare That if he died without heire male he would settle the Crowne upon him but also lawfull heire of the Earledome of Arran as being descended from Margaret Hamilton borne to Mary Stuart and Iames Hamilton after the death of Thomas Boyd her former husband now by this time the inconstant Earle of Arran had given himselfe wholly to the Cardinall The Cardinall farther put the E. of Lenox in vain hope that the Queen Dowager should marry him He brought with him some money and more he after received at the hands of Labrosse But at length perceiving himselfe frustrate of all expectation that he had either by France or yet by the promise of the Cardinall he concludeth to leave France and to seek the favour of England And so began to draw a faction against the Governour and in hatred of the others inconstancy many favoured him in the beginning For there assembled at Christmas in the Town of Ayre the Earles of Angus Glencarne Cassilles The Lord Maxwell The Laird of Dumlanrig The Sheriffe of Ayre Campbell with all the force that they and the Lords that remained constant at the opinion of England might make and after Christmas they came to light The Governour and Cardinall with their forces kept Edinburgh for they were slackly pursued Men excused the Earle of Lenox in that behalfe and laid the blame upon some that had no will of the Stewards Regiment Howsoever it was such an appointment was made that the said Earle of Lenox was disappointed of his purpose and narrowly escaped and first gat him to Glasgow and after to Dumbartane Sir George Dowglas was delivered to be kept as pledge The Earle his brother was in the Lent after taken at the siege of Glasgow It was bruted that both the brethren and others with them had lost their heads if by the providence of God the English Armie had not arrived in time After that the Cardinall had gotten the Governour wholly addict to his devotion and had obtained his intent above a part of his enemies He began to practise how that such as he feared and therefore deadly hated should be set by the eares one against another for in that thought the carnall man put his greatest securitie The Lord Ruthwen he hated by reason of his knowledge of Gods Word The Lord Gray he feared because at that time he used the company of such as professed godlinesse and bare small favour to the Cardinall Now thus reasoned the worldly wise man If I can put enmity betwixt these two I shall be rid of a great number of unfriends For the most part of the Countrey will either assist the one or the other and so will they be otherwise occupied then to watch for my displeasure He finds the means without long processe for he labours with Iohn Chartarous a man of stout courage and many friends to accept the Provostrie of S. Iohnston which he purchased to him by donation of the Governour with a charge to the said Towne to obey him as their lawfull Provost Whereat not onely the said Lord Ruthwen but also the Towne being offended gave a negative answer alleadging that such intrusion of men to office was hurtfull to their priviledge and freedom which granted unto them free election of their Provost from yeere to yeere at a certain time appointed which they could not nor would not anticipate Hereat the said Iohn offended said That he would take that office by force if they would not grant it unto him of benevolence And so departed and communed the matter with the Lord Gray with Norman Leslie and with others his friends whom he easily perswaded to assist
a yard the said William Iohn followed privily and tooke heed what he did when he had gone up and down in an alley a reasonable space with many sobs and deep grones hâ— fell upon his knees and sitting thereon his grones increased And from hise knees he fell upon his face And then the persons aforenamed heard weeping and as it were an indigest sound of prayers in the which he continued neer an hour and after began to be quiet and so arose and came into his bed They that waited upon him came before as if they had bin ignorant till that he came in and then began they to demand where he had been But that night he would answer nothing Upon the morrow they urged him again and while that he dissembled they said M. George Be plain with us for we heard your mourning and saw you both upon your knees and upon your face With dejected visage he said I had rather ye had been in your beds and it had been more profitable for you for I was scarce well occupied When they instantly urged him to let them know some comfort he said I will tell you That I am assured that my travell is neer an end and therefore call to God with me that now I shrinke not when the battell waxes most hot And while that they weeped and said That was small comfort unto them he answered God shall send you comfort after me This Realme shall be illuminated with the light of Christs Gospel as cleerly as ever any Realme since the dayes of the Apostles The House of God shall be builded in it yea it shall not lack whatsoever the enemy imagine in the contrary the very Kepstone meaning That it should once be brought to the full perfection Neither said he shall this be long to there shall not many suffer after me till that the glory of God shall evidently appeare and shall once triumph in despight of Sathan But alas if the people shall be after unthankfull then fearfull and terrible shall the plagues be that shall follow And with these words he marched forwards in his journey towards S. Iohnston and so to Fyfe and then to Leyth where he arrived and hearing no word of those that appointed to meet him to wit The Earle of Cassels and the Gentlemen of Kyle and Cuninghame he kept himself secret a day or two But beginning to wax sorrowfull in spirit and being demanded of the cause of such as were not in his company before he said What differ I from a dead man except that I eat and drinke To this time God hath used my labours to the instruction of others and unto the disclosing of darknesse and now I lurke as a man that were ashamed and durst not shew himself before men By these and the like words they that heard him understood that his desire was to preach and therefore said Most comfortable it was unto us to hear you but because we know the danger wherein ye stand we dare not desire you But dare ye and others hear said he and then let my God provide for me as best pleaseth him Finally it was concluded That the next Sunday he should preach in Leith as he did and took the Text The Parable of the sower that went forth to sow seed Matth. 13. And this was upon the fifteenth day before Christmas The Sermon ended the Gentlemen of Lowthan who then were earnest Professors of Christ Jesus thought not expedient that he should remain in Leith because that the Governour and Cardinall were shortly to come to Edinburgh and therefore they took him with them and kept him sometimes in Brunston sometimes in Langnidrie and sometimes in Ormeston For these three diligently waited upon him The Sunday following he preached in the Church of Enneresk besides Mussilburgh both before and at after noon where there was a great confluence of people amongst whom was Sir George Dowglas who after the Sermon said publikely I know that my Lord Governour and my Lord Cardinall shall hear that I have been at this preaching for they were then at Edinburgh Say unto them That I will avow it and will not onely maintain the Doctrine that I have heard but also the person of the Teacher to the uttermost of my power Which words greatly rejoyced the people and the Gentlemen then present One thing notable in that Sermon we cannot passe by Amongst others there came two gray Friers and standing in the entry of the Church door they made some whispering to such as came in which perceived the Preacher said to the people that stood neer them I heartily pray you to make room to those two men it may be that they be come to learne And unto them he said Come neer for they stood in the very entry of the door for I assure you ye shall hear the Word of verity which shall either seal in you this same day your salvation or condemnation And so proceeded he in Doctrine supposing they would have been quiet But when he perceived them still to trouble the people that stood neer them for vehement was he against the false worshipping of God he turned unto them the second time and with an irefull countenance said O Sergeants of Sathan and deceivers of the souls of men Will ye neither heare Gods Truth nor suffer others to heare it Depart and take this for your portion God shall shortly confound and disclose your hypocrisie within this Realme ye shall be abominable unto men and your places and habitations shall be desolate This Sentence he pronounced with great vehemency in the midst of the Sermon And turning to the people he said You wicked men have provoked the Spirit of God to anger And so he returned to his matter and proceeded to the end The dayes travell was ended he came to Langindrie and the two next Sundays preached in Tranent with the like grace and like confluence of people In all his Sermons after his departure from Augus he forespake the shortnesse of the time that he had to travell and of his death the day whereof approached neerer than any would believe In the latter end of those dayes that are called the holy dayes of Christmas past he by consent of the Gentlemen to Hadington where it was supposed the greatest confluence of people should be both by reason of the Towne and of the Countrey adjacent The first day before noon the auditors were reasonable and yet nothing in comparison of that which used to be in that Church But the afternoon and the next day following before noon the auditory was so slender that many wondred The cause was judged to have been That the Earle Bothwell who in those bounds used to have great credit and obedience by procurement of the Cardinall had given inhibition as well unto the Towne as unto the Countrey that they should not hear him under the pain of his displeasure The first night he lay within the Towne with David
is vain and to the dead is Idolatry 8. There is no Bishop except he Preach even by himselfe without any Substitute 9. The Tythes by Gods Law do not appertain of necessity to the Church-men The strangenesse said the Sub-Prior of these Articles which are gathered forth of your Doctrine have moved us to call for you to hear your own answers Iohn Knox said I for my part praise my God that I see so honourable and apparantly so modest and quiet an Auditory But because it is long since that I have heard that ye are one that is not ignorant of the Trueth I may crave of you in the Name of God yea and I appeal your conscience before that supreme Judge That if ye think any Article there expressed contrary unto the Truth of God That ye oppose your self plainely unto it and suffer not the people to be therewith deceived But on the other side if in your conscience ye know the Doctrine to be true then will I crave your Patrocinie thereto That by your authority the people may be moved the rather to beleeve the Truth whereof many doubts by reason of your thoughts The Sub-Prior answered I came not here as a Judge but onely familiarly to talke and therefore I will neither allow nor condemne But if ye list I will reason The Sub-Prior Why may not the Church said he for good causes devise Ceremonies to decore the Sacraments and other Gods Service Iohn Knox. Because the Church ought to do nothing but in Faith and ought not to go before but is bound to follow the voice of the true Pastor The Sub-Prior It is in Faith that the Ceremonies are commanded and they have proper significations to help our Faith as the hards in Baptisme signifie the roughnesse of the Law and the oyle the softnesse of Gods mercy and likewise every one of the Ceremonies hath a godly signification and therefore they both proceed from Faith and are done in Faith Iohn Knox. It is not enough that man invent a Ceremony and then give it a signification according to his pleasure For so might the Ceremonies of the Gentiles and this day the Ceremonies of Mahomet be maintained But if that any thing proceed from Faith it must have the Word of God for its assurance For ye are not ignorant That Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God Now if that ye will prove that your Ceremonies proceed from Faith and do please God ye must prove that God in expresse words hath commanded them Or else shall you never prove that they proceed from Faith nor yet that they please God but that they are sinne and do displease him according to the words of the Apostle Whatsoever is not of Faith is sinne The Sub-Prior Will ye binde us so straight that we may do nothing without the expresse Word of God What and I ask drink Think ye that I sinne and yet I have not Gods Word for me This answer gave he as might appear to shift over the Argument upon the Frier as that he did Iohn Knox. I would ye should not jest in so grave a matter neither would I that ye should begin to hide the Trueth with Sophistrie and if ye do I will defend it the best that I can And first to your drinking I say that if ye either eat or drink without assurance of Gods Word that in so doing ye displease God and sinne in your very eating and drinking For saith not the Apostle speaking even of meat and drink That the creatures are sanctified unto men even by word and prayer The word is this All things are cleane to the cleane Now let me hear this much of your Ceremonies and I shall give you the Argument but I wonder that they compare things prophane and holy things so indiscreetly together The Question was not nor is not of meat or drink whereinto the Kingdom of God consisteth not But the Question is of Gods true worshipping without the which we can have no societie with God And here it is doubted if we may take the same freedom in the using of Christs Sacraments that we may do in eating and drinking One meat I may eat another I may refuse and that without scruple of conscience I may change one with another even as oft as I please Whether may we cast away what we please and retaine what we please If I be well remembred Moses in the Name of God saith to the people of Israel All that the Lord thy God commandeth thee to do that do thou to the Lord thy God adde nothing to it diminish nothing from it By these rules think I that the Church of Christ will measure Gods Religion and not by that which seems good in their own eyes The Sub-Prior Forgive me I spake it but in mowes and I was dry And now father said he to the Frier follow the argument ye have heard what I have said and what is answered to me againe Arbugkill gray-Frier I shall prove plainely that Ceremonies are ordained by God Iohn Knox. Such as God hath ordained we allow and with reverence we use them But the question is of those that God hath ordained such as in Baptisme are spittle salt candle except it be to keep the barne from the cold hardes oyle and the rest of the Papisticall inventions Arbugkill I will even prove those that ye damne to be ordained of God Iohn Knox. The Proofe thereof I would gladly hear Arbugkill Saith not Saint Paul that another foundation then Jesus Christ may no man lay But upon this foundation Some build gold silver and precious stones some hay stubble and wood The gold silver and the precious stones are the Ceremonies of the Church which do abide the fire and consumeth not away c. This place of Scripture is most plaine sayeth the foolish fiend Iohn Knox. I praise my God through Jesus Christ for I finde his promise sure true and stable Christ Jesus bids us not fear when we shall be called before men to give confession of his Trueth for he promiseth that it shall be given unto us in that houre what we shall speak If I had sought the whole Scriptures I could not have produced a place more proper for my purpose nor more potent to confound you Now to your Argument The Ceremonies of the Church say ye are gold silver and precious stones because they are able to abide the fire But I would learne of you What fire is it which your Ceremonies do abide And in the mean time while ye be advised to answer I will shew my minde and make an Argument against yours upon the same Text. And first I say that I have heard this Text adduced for a proofe of Purgatory but for defence of Ceremonies I never heard nor yet read it But omitting whether ye understand the minde of the Apostle or not I make my Argument and say That which can abide the fire can abide the Word of God But
it betwixt them for that day The feare riseth and at an instant they which before were victors and were not yet assaulted with any force except with ordnance as is said cast from them their spears and fled So that Gods power was so evidently seen that in one moment yea at one instant time both the armies were fleeing The shout came from the hill from those that hoped no victory upon the English part The shout rises we say They flee they flee but at the first it could not be beleeved till at the last it was clearly seene that all had given back and still began the cruell slaughter which was the greater by reason of the late displeasure of the men of arms the chase and slaughter lasted till neer Edinburgh upon the one part and toward Dalketh upon the other The number of the slain upon the Scottish side were judged nigh ten thousand men The Earle of Huntly was taken and carried to London But he relieved himselfe being surety for many reasons Honesty or unhonesty we know not but as the bruite was he used policie with England In that same time was slain the Master of Erskin dearly beloved of the Queene for whom she made great lamentation and bare his death many dayes in minde When the certaintie of the discomfiture came she was in Edinburgh abiding upon tidings But with expedition she posted that same night to Sterlin with Monsieur Dosell who was as fearfull as a Fox when his hole is smoaked And thus did God take the second revenge upon the perjured Governour with such as assisted him to defend an unjust quarrell Albeit that many innocents fell amongst the middest of the wicked The English armie came to Leyth and their taking order with their prisoners and spoile they returned with this victory which they looked not for to England That Winter following was great hearships made upon all the borders of Scotland Broughtie mountain was taken by the Englishmen and besieged by the Governor but still kept And at it was slain Gawine the best of the Hamiltons and the ordnance left Whereupon the Englishmen encouraged began to fortifie upon the hill above Broughty house which was called The fort of Broughty and was very noisome to Dundie which it burnt and laid waste and so did it the most part of Angus which was not assured and under friendship with them The Lent following was Hadington fortified by the English men The most part of Lothian from Edinburgh East was either assured or laid waste This did God plague in every quarter But men were blinde and would not nor could not consider the cause The Lairdes Ormeston and Brunstone were banished and after sore assaulted and so were all those of the Castle of S. Andrews The sure knowledge of the troubles of Scotland coming to France there was prepared a Navie and Army The Navie was such as never was seen to come from France for the support of Scotland for besides the Gallies being twenty two in number they had threescore great Ships besides Victuallers How soon so ever they took the plain seas the red Lion of Scotland was displayed and they holden as rebels unto France such policie is no falshood in Princes for good peace stood betwixt France and England And the King of France approved nothing that they did The chiefe men to whom the conducting of the Army was appointed were Monsieur Dandelott Monsieur de Termes and Peter Strozi In their journey they made some harship upon the coast of England but it was not great They arrived in Scotland in May in the yeere of our Lord 1549. The Gallies did visit the Fort of Broughtie but did no more at that time Preparations were made for the siege of Hadington but it was another thing that they meant as the issue declared The whole body of the Realm assembled the form of a Parliament was set to be holden there to wit in the Abbey of Hadington The principall head was the Marriage of the Princesse by the State before contracted to King Edward to the King of France and of her present deliverie by reason of the danger she stood in by the invasion of the old enemies of England Some were corrupted with buds some deceived by flattering promise and some for fear were compelled to consent for the French Souldiers were the officers of Arms in that Parliament The Laird of Balcleuch a bloody man with many Gods-wounds swore They that would not consent should do worse The Governour got the Title of Duke of Chattelherauld with the order of the Cockle and a Pension of 12000. lib. turn with a full discharge of all intermissions with King Iames the fift his treasure and substance whatsoever with possession of the Castle of Dumbartane till that issue should be seen of the Queenes body With these and other conditions stood he content to sell his Soveraigne out of his own hands which in the end will be his destruction God thereby punishing his former wickednesse if speedie repentance prevent not Gods judgements which we heartily wish Huntly Argyle and Angus were likewise made Knights of the Cockle and for that and other good deeds received they sold also their part Shortly none was found to resist that unjust demand And so was she sold to go to France To the end that in her youth she should drink of that liquor that should remain with her all her life time for a plague to this Realm and for her own ruine And therefore albeit that now a fire cometh out of her that consumes many let no man wonder she is Gods hand in his displeasure punishing our former ingratitude Let men patiently abide Gods appointed time and turn unto him with hearty repentance then God will surely stop the fire that now comes from her by sudden changing her heart to deal favourably with his people or else by taking her away or by stopping her to go on in her couâ—se by such meanes as he shall think meet in his wisdom for he having all in his hand disposeth of all and doth with all according to his own will unto which we must not onely yeeld but also be heartily pleased with it since it is absolutely good and both by Sacred and Prophane History we are taught to do so for in them we finde That Princes have been raised up by his hands to punish his people But when they turned unto him with hearty repentance he either turned the heart of the Prince to deal kindly with his people or else did take him away or at least did stop his violent course against his people Of this the examples are so frequent that we spare to name them heere But to returne to our Historie This conclusion That our Queene without further delay should be delivered to France The siege continued great shooting but no assaulting and yet they had fair occasion offered unto them For the English-men approaching to
advert thereto and to have care to use your Lordships friends that alwayes hath wished the honour profit and prosperity of your Lordships house as of our own I pray you give credit to the Bearer Iesu have your Lordship in everlasting keeping Of Edinburgh the five and twentieth day of March Anno 1558. Sic subscribitur Your Lordships at all power Saint Andrews Followes the Credit MEmorandum To Sir David Hamilton to my Lord Earle of Argyle in my behalfe and let him see and heare every Article 1. Imprimis To repeat the ancient blood of his house how long it hath stood how notable it hath been and so many Noble-men hath been Earles Lords and Knights thereof How long they have reigned in their parts true and obedient both to God and the Prince without any spot in their dayes in any manner of sort And to remember how many notable men are come of his house 2. Secondly To shew him the great affection I beare towards him his blood house and friends and of the ardent desire I have of the perpetuall standing of it in honour and fame with all them that are come of it Which is my part for many and divers causes as you shall see 3. Thirdly To shew my Lord how heavy and displeasing it is to me now to heare That he who is and hath been so Noble a man should be seduced and abused by the flattery of such an infamed person of the Law and men sworne Apostate that under the pretence that he giveth himself forth as a Preacher of the Gospel and Veritie under that colour setteth forth Schismes and Divisions in the holy Church of God with Hereticall Propositions thinking that under his maintenance and defence to infect this Countrey with Heresie perswading my said Lord and others his children and friends that all that he speaketh is Scripture and conform thereunto albeit that many of his Propositions are many yeers past condemned by generall Councels and the whole state of Christian people 4. Fourthly To shew to my Lord how perillous this is to his Lordship and his house and decay thereof in case that authority should be sharp and should use rigour conform both to Civill and Canon and also your own Municipall law of this Realm 5. Fifthly to shew his Lordship how woe I would be either to heare see or know any displeasure that might come to him his son or any of his house or friends and especially in his own time and dayes And as how great displeasure I have now to hear great and evil bruites of him that should in his old age in a manner vary from his faith and to be altered therin when the time is that he should be most sure and firme therein 6. Sixthly To shew his Lordship that there is delation of that man called Dowglas or Grant of sundry Articles of Heresie which lieth to my charge and conscience to put remedie to or else all the pestilentious Doctrine he sowes and such like all that are corrupt by his Doctrine and all that he draweth from our Faith and Christian Religion will lie to my charge before God and I to be accused before God for overseeing of him if I put not remedy thereto and correct him for such things he is delated of And therefore that my Lord consider and weigh it well how highly it lieth both to my honour and conscience for if I favour him I shall be accused for all them that he infects and corrupts in Heresie 7. Seventhly Therefore I pray my Lord in most hearty maner to take this matter in the best part for his own conscience honour and weale of himselfe house friends and servants and sik like for my part and for my conscience and honour Then considering that there are divers Articles of Heresie to be laid to him that he is dilated of and that he is presently in my Lords company That my Lord would by some honest way part with this man and put him from him and from his sons company For I would be right sorry that any being in any of their companies should be called for such causes or that any of them should be bruited to hold any sik man And this I would advertise my Lord and have his Lordships Answer and Resolution before any Summons passed upon him 8. Eighthly Item If my Lord would have a man to instruct him truely in the Faith and Preach to him I would provide a learned man to him and I shall answer for his true Doctrine and shall Pand my soule that he shall teach nothing but truly according to our Catholike Faith Of Edinburgh this last of March 1558. Sic subscribiter Saint Andrews Moreover I hope your Lordship will call to good remembrance and weigh the great and heavie murmure against me both by the Queene the Church-men Spirituall and Temporall estates and well given people moaning crying and murmuring at me greatly That I do not my Office To those such infamous persons with such perversed Doctrine within my Diocesses and this Realme by reason of my Legacie and Primacie which I have the rather sustained and long suffered for the great love that I had to your Lordship and posterity and your friends and your house As beleeving surely your Lordships wisedome should not have maintained and medled with such things that might do me dishonour or displeasure considering that I have bin ready to put good order thereto alwayes but have modestly abstained for the love of your Lordship and house aforesaid that I beare truely knowing and seeing the great harm and dishonour and lack apparantly that might come there through in case your Lordship remedie not the same hastily whereby we might both be quiet of all danger which doubtlesse will come upon us both if I use not my Office or that he be called while that he is now with your Lordship and under your Lordships protection Subscribed againe Saint Andrews By these former Instructions thou mayest perceive Gentle Reader what was the care that this Pastour or rather Impostour with his Complices took to feed the flock committed to their charge as they alleadge and to gain-stand false Teachers Here is oft mention of conscience of Heresie such other terms that might fray the ignorant and deceive the simple But we hear no crime in particular laid to the charge of the accused and yet is he condemned as a forsworn Apostata This was my Lords conscience which he learned of his fathers the Pharisees old enemies to Christ Jesus who condemned him before they heard him But who ruled my Lords conscience when he took his cousins wife the Lady Gilton Consider thou the rest of his perswasions thou shalt clearly see That honour estimation love to house and friends is the best ground that my Lord Bishop hath why he should persecute Jesus Christ in his members We thought good to insert the answers of the said Earle which follow Memorandum This present Writ is to make answer
Predecessors Item Upon the Petition presented to the said Deputies concerning the Government and Regiment of the Policy they have Consented c. That four and twenty worthy men of this Realme be chosen by the States of the which the King and the Queen shall chuse seven and the States five which in their Majesties absence shall take order and make one ordinary Councell for the administration aforesaid so that no man of whatsoever quality he be shall have the power to order any thing to be done touching the said businesse without the mediation authority and consent of them and the said Councellors shall convene together as oft as they can conveniently but shall convene no lesse nor fix together And when any matter of importance occurreth they shall all be called to consult and order to be taken by them or the most part of them if need be And if it happen any of the said seven chosen by the King and Queen to decease their Majesties shall chuse another forth of the said number of four and twenty in the place of him that deceased And if any of the said five chosen by the States dieth the remnant forechosen by them shall name another of the number of 24. Moreover if it be thought expedient to the said States that other two be augmented to the said number of 12. then and in that cause the King and Queen shall chuse one and the States another and so was this Article agreed under condition that is to say That the same be no prejudice in times coming to the King and Queen and Rights of the Crown And the said Deputies offered their labours to make mediation to the King and Queen for maintaining Pensions and Expenses of the said Councellors and ordinary Officers of the said Councell to be provided of the Rents and Revenues of the Crown Item Upon the Petition made to the said Depuâ—ies anenst the Officers of this Realm they consented and accorded c. That in time to come the King and Queen shall not depute any stranger in the administration of the Civill and Common Justice and likewise in the Office of Chancery Keeper of the Seale the Treasurer Controller and every like Offices and shall not use them but shall be content with their owne subjects borne in the Realm Moreover It shall not be lawfull to put the Office of Treasury Controller into the hands of any Church-man or other which are not able to exercise the said Offices the which Treasurer and Controller shall be provided of sufficient Commission to use the said Offices But it shall be lawfull to them to dispose or sell Wards of Marriages or other casualties or any other things whatsoever they be pertaining to their Offices without advice and consent of the said Councell to the effect that the Councell may know that all things be done to the profit of the King and Queen And yet they will not binde or astraint the King or Queen to this Article that they may not give when they think expedient Item They accorded That in the first Convention and Parliament of the States of this Realme there shall be Constituted Ordained and Established an Act of Oblivion which afterwards shall be confirmed by the Kings and Queens Majesties by the which the remembrance of bearing Armour and other things which have been done shall be buried and forgotten from the sixth day of the moneth of March in the yeer of our Lord God 1558 yeers And by the same Act they which have contravened the Laws of the Realme shall be excused and free of all pains contained therein even so as if it had never been contravened Providing That the Priviledge of the said Act be not extended to them which the States of the Realme shall judge unworthy thereof Item It is agreed and concluded That in the said Convention or Parliament the States of the Realme as the Custome is and ordinarily is required shall be called in the which all they that have used to convene and to be present may come without all fear or force done or to be done to them by any person so that the said States shall oblige them That where in time coming any Sedition or gathering of men of War shall happen to be without command of the Councell being of the number of twelve the Realme and Countrey shall repute the causers thereof and they that convene as Rebells and shall pursue them as such like that they may be punished by the Laws of the Realm so that the K. and Q. shall not be compelled in time coming to send any men of War strangers in these parts for obtaining due obedience of their subjects Item They Offered Accorded and Agreed That there shall be a generall peace and reconciliation amongst all Lords and subjects of this Realm so that they that are called of the Congregation and they which are not of the same shall lay no reproach to others for the things which are done from the said sixth day of March 1558. Item They Offered Accorded and Affirmed That the King and Queen shall not pursue revenge nor make any persecution for the things that have been done nor yet shall they suffer the same to be done by their subjects French-men but shall have all things in Oblivion as if the same had never been done And such like the Lords of this Realm of Scotland shall do in all businesse betwixt them and the French-men on their And if by sinister information or any other occasion their Majesties have conceived evill opinion against their subjects they shall utterly forget and change the same Nor shall they deprive any of them nor take from them any of them their Subjects the Offices Benefices or Estates which they have brooked and enjoyed in the said Realm before by reason of any things they have medled with from the said sixth day of March 1558. And further shall make no occasion of deprivation nor deposing of them by any other colour without just cause but rather they shall esteem and use them in time coming as good and obedient subjects Providing That the said Lords and other subjects on their part make to their Majesties all obedience such like as other faithfull and naturall subjects owe to their Soveraigns Item It is Accorded and Agreed That it shall be lawfull to none of the Lords and Nobility of Scotland or any other to make Convocation of men of War but in the ordinary cause approved by the Laws and Custome of the Realme And none of them shall cause any men of War strangers to come to their parts and much lesse shall attempt to do any thing against the King and Queen or against the Authority of the Councell and other Magistrates of the Realme and they which have presented the Petition shall be bound thereunto And in case any of them or others finde occasion to invade or take Armour against any man as he pretendeth after that he hath communicated the matter with
owne desire we know not but the Queen spake with Iohn Knox and had long reasoned with him none being present except the Lord Iames two Gentlemen stood in the one end of the room The sum of their reasoning was this The Queen accused him That he had raised a part of her subjects against her Mother and her self That he had written a Book against her just Authority she meant the Treatise against the Regiment of Women which she had and would cause the most learned in Europe to write against it That he was the cause of great sedition and great slaughter in England And that it was said to her That all that he did was by Necromancy To the which the said Iohn answered Madame it may please your Majestie patiently to hear my simple answers And first said he my simple Answers And first said he if to teach the Word of God in sincerity if to rebuke Idolatry and to will a people to worship God according to his Word be to raise Subjects against their Princes then cannot I bee excused for it hath pleased God of his mercy to make me one amongst many to disclose unto this Realme the vanitie of the Papisticall Religion and the deceit pride and tyranny of that Romane Antichrist But Madame if the true knowledge of God and his right worshipping be the chief cause which must move men to obey their just Princesse from their heart as it is most certain that they are wherein can I be reprehended I thinke and am surely perswaded that your Majestie has had and presently hath as unfained obedience of such as professe Christ Jesus within this Realm as ever your Father or Progenitours had of those that were called Bishops And touching that Booke that seemeth so highly to offend your Majestie it is most certaine that if I wrote it I am content that all the learned of the world judge of it I heare that an Englishman hath written against it but I have not read him if hee hath sufficiently confuted my reasons and established his contrary Propositions with as evident testimonies as I have done mine I shall not bee obstinate but shall confesse mine errour and ignorance But to this houre I have thought and yet thinkes my selfe alone more able to sustaine the things affirmed in that my Work than any ten in Europe shall be able to confute it You thinke said shee that I have no just Authoritie Please your Majestie said he that learned men in all ages have had their judgements free and most commonly disagreeing from the Common judgement of the world Such also have they published both with Pen and tongue notwithstanding they themselves have lined in the common Societie with others and have borne patiently with the errour and imperfections which they could not amend Plato the Philosopher wrote his Booke of the Common wealth in the which hee condemnes many things that were maintained in the world and required many things to have beene reformed And yet notwithstanding he lived under such Politicks as then were universally received without farther troubling any State Even so Madame am I content to do in uprightnesse of heart and with a testimony of good Conscience I have communicate my judgement to the world if the Realme findes no inconveniencies in the Regiment of a woman that which they approve shall I not further disallow then within my owne brest but shall be all well content and shall live under your Majestie as Paul was to live under the Roman Emperour And my hope is that so long as ye defile not your hands with the Blood of the Saints of God that neither I nor that Booke shall either hurt you or your Authoritie for in very deed Madame that Booke was written most especially against that wicked Mary of England But said shee you speake of women in generall most true it is Madame said the other and yet plainly appeareth to me that wisedome should perswade your Majestie never to raise trouble for that which this day hath not troubled your Majestie neither in person nor in anxietie For of late yeeres many things which before were holden Stable have been called in doubt yea they have been plainely impugned But yet Madame I am assured That neither Protestant nor Papist shall be able to prove That any such Question was at any time moved in publike or in private Now Madame said he if I had intended to trouble your State because you are a woman I might have chosen a time more convenient for that purpose then I can do now when your own presence is within the Realme But now Madame shortly to answer to the other two accusations I heartily praise my God through Jesus Christ that Satan the enemy of mankinde and the wicked of the World have no other crimes to lay to my charge then such as the very World it selfe knoweth to be most false and vaine For in England I was resident onely the space of five yeeres The places were Barwick where I abode two yeeres So long in New-castle And a yeere in London Now Madame if in any of these places during the time that I was there any man shall be able to prove That there was either Battell Sedition or Mutinie I shall confesse That I my selfe was the Malefactour and shedder of the blood I am not ashamed further to affirme That God so blessed my weake labours then in Barwick wherein then commonly used to be slaughter by reason of quarrells that used to arise amongst Souldiers there was also great quietnesse all the time that I remained there as there is this day in Edinburgh And where they slander me of Magick Necromancie or of any other Art forbidden of God I have witnesse besides mine owne conscience all the Congregations that ever heard me what I speak both against such acts and against those that use such impietie But seeing the wicked of the world said That my Master the Lord Jesus was possessed with Beelzebub I must patiently beare Albeit that I wretched sinner be unjustly accused of those that never delighted in the Veritie But yet said she you have taught the people to receive another Religion then their Princes can allow And how can that Doctrine be of God Seeing that God commandeth Subjects to obey their Princes Madame said he as right Religion tooke neither Originall nor Antiquity from worldly Princes but from the eternall God alone So are not Subjects bound to frame their Religion according to the appetite of their Princes For oft it is that Princes are the most ignorant of all others in Gods true Religion as we may reade in the Histories as well before the death of CHRIST JESUS as after If all the seed of Abraham should have beene of the Religion of Pharaoh to whom they had beene a long time Subjects I pray you Madame what Religion should there have been in the world Or if all men in the dayes of the Apostles
Chanters sub-Chanters Provests Parsons and Vicars and other Beneficed men whatsoever their Chamberlains and Factors personally or at their dwelling places or at the Parish Churches where they should remain To exhibite and produce before the Queens Majesty and Lords aforesaid before the said 24 day of Ianuary next coming the just and true Rentals of the values and rents of their Benefices to the effect aforesaid And to chare the Prelats and the other Beneficed men on the other side of the Water in manner aforesaid to exhibite and produce the just and true Rentals of their Benefices before the Queens Majesty and Lords aforesaid the said 10 of February to the effect aforesaid with certification to them That if any fails to appeare the Queens Majesties and Councels wills are That they should be proceeded against here as the matter requires And likewise to charge the whole Superintendents Ministers Elders and Deacons of the principall Towns and Shires of this Realm to give in before the Queens Majesty and Lords of the Councell aforesaid before the said 24 of Ianuary next coming a formall and sufficient Roll and Memoriall what may be sufficient and reasonable to sustain Ministry and whole Ministers of this Realme that her Majesty and Lords of the Councell aforesaid may rightly and diligently weigh and consider what necessary support is required to be taken yeerly of the fruits of the said Benefices by her Majesties own yearly Rent to entertain and set forward the common affairs of this Realme against the said 24 day of Ianuary next coming that it may be proceeded in the said matter all parties satisfied and the whole Countrey and Lieges thereof set in quietnesse Apud Linlithgow 24 Ianuarii c. FOrasmuch as the Queens Majesty with the advice of the Lords of her Secret Councell directed her Letters commanding all and sundry Arch-bishops Bishops Abbots c. and all other Beneficed men their Factors Farmors Takesmen to appear before her Highnesse and Lords aforesaid at Edinburgh or where it should happen them to be for the time so many as dwells upon this side of the water before the 24 day of Ianuary instant and them that dwells beyond the water the 10 of February next coming that the just value of their Benefices might be knowne so that hereafter her Highnesse may take order for the Sustentation of the Ministry of the Church and the publike businesse of the Realme And because the Queens Majesty is presently busied with other affairs and may not her self attend upon the receipt of the said Rent therefore her Highnesse hath given and granted and by these Presents gives and grants full power and Commission to Master Iames Mackgill of Rankellor nether Clerk of the Register Sir Iohn Ballenden of Archnenell Knight Justice Clerk to the Treasurer Secretary of State Advocate of the Crowne and Laird of Pittarrow to call before them within the City of Edinburgh all and sundry Prelates and Beneficed men which are charged by vertue of the said Letters now presently being in Edinburgh or shall happen hereafter to repair thereto their Factors or Farmers and there enquire of them the Rentalls of their Benefices and receive the same from them to the effect aforesaid And likewise that the said Commissioners cause warne all Seperintendents Over-seers Ministers Elders and Deacons to give unto them the names of all the Ministers of this Realme that the just Calculation being made and considered by the said Commissioners of the value of the said Benefices they may report the same unto the Queens Majesty that her Highnesse may take order herein according to the just Tenour of the first Ordinance made thereupon Apud Edinburgh 12 February 1561. FOrasmuch as by Statute and Ordinance made by the Queens Majesty and Lords of the Secret Councell and her Highnesse Letters directed thereupon all and sundry Archbishops Bishops Abbots c. and other Beneficed men were charged to produce the Rentalls of their Benefices before her Majesty and Lords aforesaid in manner following that is to say The said Beneficed men dwelling on this side of the Water before the four and twentieth of Ianuary last past And on the other side of the Water before the tenth of February instant to the effect that order might be taken therin to conform to the Ordinance With certification to them that if they fayled the Queens Majestie and Counsell aforesaid would take order therein as the same Ordinance bears Notwithstanding of the which the Queens Majestie and Counsell and others appointed for receiving of the said Rentalls have continually since the said 24 of Ianuary aforesaid waited upon the receiving of them yet a very small number of them have produced their Rentalls thereby not onely contemning her Majesties Ordinance and Proclamation aforesaid but also her selfe and her Authoritie as they were Princes and not Subjects expresse against Equitie Reason and Justice For remedy whereof the Queene Majestie ordains with advice of the Lords of her secret Councill That Factors Chamerlains or Stewards bee appointed to intromett gather uplist and receive to our Soveraign Ladies use all and sundry mailles tythes or tiends farmes rents provents emoluments fruits profits and due tyes of whatsoever benefices whereof the Rentalls are not produced conforme to the said Ordinance And if any Retalls already produced bears not the just value but is Fraudulently made to intromet and uptake as much of the profits and fruits of the said benefices as are omitted forth of the said Rentalls and the In-givers of the Rentalls and Professors of the Benefices thereof shall never have action to claime crave or receive from the Tenants and Occupiers further then is contained in the same Rentals already produced by them and the Tenants and Possessors shall be holden to pay no more than is contained in the same Rentalls already produced as aforesaid And the said Chamerlains and Factors to be appointed by the Queenes Majestie shall have sufficient power to intromitt and uptake the fruits and profits aforesaid in such fulnesse as if speciall Letters of Factory and Chamerlancie were granted to them thereupon and ordains the Lords of the Session to direct forth Letters at the said Factors and Chamerlaines instancies either of horning or poynding as shall be thought expedient for causing of them to bee answered of fruits of the said Benefices to be forth-commanded to the Queenes Majesties behalf and use while further order be taken therein Apud Edinburge 15. February 1561. FOr as much as the Queenes Majestie by the advice of the Lords of her secret Councell and others divers of the Nobility had of before the two and twentieth day of December last past ordained that if the fourth part of the fruits and Rents of all the Benefices within this Realme were not sufficient for the Supporting of her Majesties present wants and the particular Charges under-written necessary to be borne for the weale of the Countrey than the third of the said fruits more or lesse should be taken
whelps have devoured their Lambs the Complainer may stand in danger but the offender we fear shall have leave to hunt after his prey Such Comparisons said Lethington are very unsavoury for I am assured That the Queen will not erect nor maintaine Papistry Let your assurance said the other serve your selfe but it cannot assure us for her manifest proceedings speaketh the contrary After such cautious reasoning on both sides the pluralitie concluded That the supplication as it was conceived should be presented unlesse that the Secretary would make one more fit to the present necessitie he promised to keep the substance of ours but he would use other termes and aske things in a more gentle manner The first Writer answered That he served the Churches at their commandment and was content That in his ditement men should use the libertie that best pleased them providing That he were not compelled to subscribe to the flattery of such as more regarded the persons of men then the simple truth of God And so was this former supplication given to be reformed as Lethingtons wisedome thought best And in very deed he framed it so That when it was delivered by the Superintendents of Lothain and Fyfe And when the Queen had read somewhat of it she said Here are many faire words I cannot tell what the hearts are And so for our painted Oratory we were termed by the next name Flatterers and dissemblers but for that Session the Church received no other answer Short after the Convention of the Church chanced that unhappy persuite which Iohn Gordon Laird of Finlater made upon the Lord Ogilvie who was evill hurt and was for a long time mitilate The occasion was for certain Lands and Rights which old Finlater had resigned to the Lord which he was pursuing by Law and was in appearance to obtain his purpose whereat the said Iohn and his servants were offended and therefore made the said pursuite upon a Saterday at night betwixt nine and ten The friends of the said Lord were either not with him or else not willing to fight that night for they took stroakes but gave few that left markes The said Iohn was taken and put in the Tolbuith where he ramained certain dayes and then broke the Prison Some judged at his Fathers commandment for he was making preparation for the Queens coming to the North as we will after heare The enterview and meeting of the two Queens delayed till the next yeer Our Soveraign took purpose to visite the North and departed from Sterlin in the moneth of August whether there was any paction and confederacy betwixt the Papists of the South and the Earle of Huntly and his Papists in the North or to speak more plainly betwixt the Queen her Self and Huntly We cannot certainly affirme But the suspitions were wondrous vehement that there was no good will borne to the Earle of Murray nor yet to such as depended upon him at that time The History we shall faithfully declare and so leave the judgement free to the Readers That Iohn Gordon broke the Prison we have already heard who immediately repaired to his Father George Earle of Huntly and understanding the Queens coming made great provision in Strabogie and in other parts as it were to receive the Queen At Aberdeine the Queen and Court remained certaine dayes to deliberate upon the Affaires of the Countrey where some began to smell that the Earle of Huntly was privately gathering men as hereafter shall be declared Whilest things was so working in the North the Earle of Bothwell broke his prison and came forth of the Castle of Edinburgh the eight and twentieth day of August some say he broke the Stancheours of the Window others whispered that he got easie passage by the gates one thing is certain to wit The Queen was little offended at his escaping There passed with him a servant of the Captains named Iames Porterfield The said Earle shewed himself not very much afraid for his common residence was in Louthain The Bishop of Saint Andrews and Abbot of Crosrainell kept secret convention that same time in Paislay to whom resorted divers Papists yea the said Bishop spake to the Duke unto whom also came the Lord Gordon from the Earle of Huntly requiring him to stirre his hands in the South as he should do in the North and so it should not be Knox crying and preaching that should stay that purpose The Bishop be he never so close could not altogether hide his minde but at his own Table said The Queen is gone into the North belike to seek disobedience she may perchance finde the thing she seeks It was constantly affirmed That the Earle Bothwell and the said Lord Gordon spake together but of their purpose we heard no mention That same year and in that same instant time were appointed Commissioners by the Generall Assembly to Carrick and Cunningham Master George Hay who with great profit preached the space of a moneth in all the Churches of Carrick To Kyle and to the parts of Galloway was appointed Iohn Knox who besides the doctrine of the Evangell shewne to the common people forewarned some of the Nobilitie and Barrows of the dangers that he feared and that were appearing shortly to follow and exhorted them to put themselves in such order as that they might be able to serve the authoritie and yet not to suffer the enemies of Gods truth to have the upper hand Whereupon a great part of the Barons and Gentlemen of Kyle Cunningham and Carrick professing the true doctrine of the Evangell assembled at Ayre and after the exhortation made and conference had subscribed this Bond the Tenour whereof followeth WE whose Names are under-written do promise in the presence of God and in the presence of his Son our Lord Iesus Christ that we and every one of us shall and will maintain the preaching of his holy Evangell now of his mercy offered and granted unto this Realm and also will maintaine the Ministers of the same against all persons power and authoritie that will oppose themselves to the Doctrine proposed and by us received And further with the same solemnitie we protest and promise that every one of us shall assist another yea and the whole Body of the Protestants within this Realme in all lawfull and just occasions against all persons So that whosoever shall hurt molest or trouble any of our bodies shall be reputed enemies to the whole except that the offender will be content to submit himself to the Government of the Church now established amongst us and this we do as we desire to be accepted and favoured of the Lord Iesus and accepted worthy of credit and honesty in the presence of the godly At the Burgh of Aire the fourth day of September in the year of God 1552. Subscribed by all these with their hands as followeth The Earle Glencairne Lord Boyde Lord Uchiltrie and Failfurd Mathew Cambell of Lowdoune Knight
it But when divers times I required him to remember his promise I found nothing but delay Whereunto the Secretary answered True it is I promised to write and true it is That M. Knox required me so to do but when I had ripely advised and deeply considered the weight of the matter I found more doubts then I did before And this is one amongst others How durst I being a subject and the Queens Majesties Secretary take upon me to seek resolution of controversies depending betwixt her Highnesse and her subjects without her own knowledge and consent Then was an acclamation of the claw-backs of the Court as if Apollo had given his Responce It was wisely and faithfully done Well said Iohn Knox let worldly men praise worldly wisdome so highly as they please I am assured that by such shifts Idolatry is maintained and the truth of Jesus Christ is betrayed whereof God one day will be avenged At the and at the like sharpnesse were many offended the Voting ceased and every Faction began to speak as affection moved then Iohn Knox in the end was commanded yet to write to Master Calvin and to the learned in other Churches to know their judgement in that Question which he refused shewing his Reason I my self am not onely full resolved in conscience but also I have heard their judgements in this and all other things that I have affirmed within this Realme of the most godly and most learned that he knew in Europe I came not to this Realme without their Resolution and for my assurance I have the hand-writing of many And therefore if I should now move the said Questions again what should I do other but either shew mine own ignorance and forgetfulnesse or else inconstancy And therefore it may please you to pardon me in that I write not But I will teach you the surer way which is That you write and complain upon me That I teach publikely and affirme constantly such doctrine which offends you and so shall you know their plain mindes and whether that they and I agree in judgement or not Divers said the offer was good but no man was found that would be the Secretary and so did that Assembly and long reasoning break up After the which time the Ministers that were called precise were holden as Monsters of all the Courtiers In all that time the Earle of Murray was so frame and strange to Iohn Knox that neither by word nor writ was there any Communication betwixt them c. The end of the long reasoning betwixt John Knox and the Secretary in the moneth of June 1564. The end of the fourth Book THE FIFTH BOOK Of the Reformation of the CHURCH Of SCOTLAND IN the next Moneth which was Iuly the Queen went into Athole to the Hunting and from thence she made her Progresse into Murray and returned to Fyfe in September All this while there was appearance of love and tender friendship betwixt the two Queens For there was many Letters full of Civility and Complements sent from either of them to the other in signe of Amity besides costly Presents for Tokens And in the mean time the Earle of Lenox laboured to come home forth of England and in the moneth of October he arrived at Halyrud-house where he was graciously received by the Queens Majestie namely When he had presented the Queen of England her Letters written in his favour And because he could not be restored to his Lands without Act of Parliament therefore there was a Parliament procured to be holden at Edinburgh the 13 day of December But before the Queen would cause to Proclaim a Parliament she desired the Earle of Murray by whose means chiefly the said Earle of Lenox came into Scotland That there should no word be spoken or at least concluded that concerned Religion in the Parliament But he answered That he could not promise it In the mean time the Hamiltons and the Earle of Lenox were agreed At the day appointed the Parliament was held at Edinburgh where the said Earle of Lenox was restored after two and twenty yeers Exile He was banished and forfeited by the Hamiltons when they had the rule There were some Articles given in by the Church especially for the abolishing of the Masse universally and for punishment of vice but there was little thing granted save that it was Statute That scandalous livers should be punished first by prison and then publikely shewne unto the people with ignominy but the same was not put in execution In the end of this moneth of December the generall Assembly of the Church was held at Edinburgh many things were ordained for setling of the affaires of the Church In the end of Ianuary the Queen past to Fyfe and visiting the Gentlemens houses was magnificently banquetted every where so that such superfluity was never seen before within this Realme which caused the wilde Fowl to be so dear that Partridges were sold for a crown a piece At this time was granted by an Act of Parliament the confirmation of the Fewes of Church Lands at the desire of divers Lords whereof the Earle of Murray was chief During the Queens absence the Papists of Edinburgh went down to the Chappell to hear Masse and seeing there was no punishment they waxed more bold some of them thinking thereby to please the Queen upon a certain Sunday in February they made an Evensong of their own setting two Priests on the one side of the Quire and one or two on the other side with Sandy Stevin Menstrall Baptizing their children and making Marriages who within eight dayes after convinced of Blasphemy alleadging That he would give no more credit to the New Testament then to a Tale of Robin-Hood except it were confirmed by the Doctors of the Church The said superstitious Evensong was the occasion of a great slander for many were offended with it which being by the Brethren declared to the Lords of the Privy Councell especially to the Earle of Murray who lamented the cause to the Queens Majestie shewing her what inconveniency should come if such things were suffered unpunished And after sharp reasoning it was promised That the like should not be done hereafter The Queen also alleadged That they were a great number and that she could not trouble their conscience About the 20 of this moneth arrived at Edinburgh Henry Stewart Lord Darley from thence he past to Fyfe And in the Place of Weemes he was admitted to kisse the Queens hand whom she liked so well that she preferred him before all others As shall hereafter God willing be declared Soon after in the Moneth of March the Earle Bothwell arrived out of France whereat the Earle of Murray was highly offended because of the evil report made to him of the Lord Bothwell And passing immediately to the Queens Majestie demanded of her if it was her will or by her advice that he was come home and seeing he was his deadly enemy either he or the other
obedient subject hereafter The same day they made Musters the next day the Army was dispersed being about 18000. men the King and Queen past to Lothinaben where the Master of Maxwell gave a Banquet and then forthwith marched to Tueddall so to Peblis and then to Edinburgh The best and chief part of the Nobility of this Realme who also were the principall Instruments of the Reformation of Religion and therefore were called the Lords of the Congregation in manner above rehearsed were banished and chased into England they were courteously received and entertained by the Earle of Bedford Lieutenant upon the Borders of England Soon after the Earle of Murray took Post towards London leaving the rest of the Lords at Newcastle every man supposed that the Earle of Murray should have been graciously received of the Queen of England and that he should have gotten support according to his hearts desire but farre beyond his expectation he could get no audience of the Queen of England But by means of the French Ambassadour called Monsieur de Four his true friend he obtained audience The Queen with a fair countenance demanded How he being a Rebell to her sister of Scotland durst take the boldnesse upon him to come within her Realm These and the like words got he instead of the good and courteous entertainment expected Finally after private discourse the Ambassadour being absent she refused to give the Lords any support denying plainly that ever she had promised any such thing as to support them saying She never meant any such thing in that way albeit her greatest familiars knew the contrary In the end the Earle of Murray said to her Madame whatsoever thing your Majestie meant in your heart we are thereof ignorant but thus much we know assuredly That we had lately faithfull promises of ayd and support by your Ambassadour and familiar servants in your name And further we have your owne hand-writing confirming the said promises And afterward he took his leave and came North-ward from London towards Newcastle After the Earle of Murray his departure from the Court the Queen sent them some ayd and writ unto the Queen of Scotland in their favour Whether she had promised it in private to the Earle of Murray or whether she repented her of the harsh reception of the Earle of Murray At this time David Rizio Italian began to be higher exalted insomuch as there was no matter or thing of importance done without his advice And during this time the faithfull within this Realme were in great fear looking for nothing but great trouble and persecution to be shortly Yet Supplications and Intercessions were made thorowout all the Congregations especially for such as were afficted and banished That it would please God to give them patience comfort and constancy and this especially was done at Edinburgh where Iohn Knox used to call them that were banished The best part of the Nobility Chiefe Members of the Congregation Whereof the Courtiers being advertised they took occasion to revile and bewray his sayings alleadging He prayed for the Rebels and desired the people to pray for them likewise The Laird of Lethington chief Secretary in presence of the King and Queens Majesties and Councell confessed that he heard the Sermons and said There was nothing at that time spoken by the Minister whereat any man need to be offended And further declared plainly That by the Scripture it was lawfull to pray for all men In the end of November the Lords with their complices were summoned to appear the fourth day of February for Treason and laese Majestie But in the mean time such of the Nobility as had professed the Evangell of Christ and had communicate with the Brethren at the Lords Table were ever longer the more suspected by the Queen who began to declare her self in the Months of November and December to be maintainer of the Papists for at her pleasure the Earles of Lenox Athole and Cassels with divers others without any dissimulation known went to the Masse openly in her Chappell Yet neverthelesse the Earles of Huntley and Bothwell went not to Masse albeit they were in great favour with the Queen As for the King he past his time in Hunting and Hawking and such other pleasures as were agreeable to his appetite having in his company Gentlemen willing to satisfie his will and affections About this time in the beginning of as the Court remained at Edinburgh the banished Lords by all means possible by writings and their friends made suit and means to the King and Queens Majesties to be received into favour At this time the Abbot of Kylwinning came from Newcastle to Edinburgh and after he had gotten audience of the King and Queen with great difficulty he got Pardon for the Duke and his friends and servants upon this Condition That he should passe into France which he did soon after The five and twentieth of December convened in Edinburgh the Commissioners of the Churches within this Realme for the generall assemblie There assisted to them the Earles of Morton and Marre the Lord Lindsay and Secretary Lethington with some Barons and Gentlemen The principall things that were agreed and concluded were That forasmuch as the Masse with such Idolatry and Papisticall Ceremonies were still maintained expresly against the Act of Parliament and the Proclamations made at the Queens Arrivall And that the Queen had promised that she would hear Conference and Disputation That the Church therefore offered to prove by the Word of God That the Doctrine preached within this Realme was according to the Scriptures and that the Masse with all the Papisticall Doctrine was but the invention of men and meer Idolatry Secondly That by reason of the change of the Comptroller who had put in new Collectors forbidding them to deliver any thing to the Ministry and by these means the Ministry was like to decay and fail contrary to the Ordinance made in the yeer of God 1562. in favour and support of the Ministery During this time as the Papists flocked to Edinburgh for making Court some of them that had been Friers as black Abercrommy and Roger presented supplication to the Queens Majesty desiring in effect That they might be permitted to preach which was easily granted The noyse was further That they offered Disputation For as the Court stood they thought they had a great advantage already by reason they knew the King to be of their Religion as well as the Queen with some part of the Nobility who with the King after declared themselves openly And especially the Queen was governed by the Earls of Lenox and Athole but in matters most weighty and of greatest importance by David Rizio the Italian afore mentioned who went under the name of the French Secretary by whose means all grave matters of what weight soever must passe providing always That his hands were anoynted In the mean time he was a manifest enemy to the Evangell and therefore a
rich and potent in Israel If this equality was commanded by God for maintenance of that transitory tabernacle which was but a shadow of a better to come is not the same required of us who now have the verity which is Christ Jesus who being clad with our nature is made Immanuel that is God with us Whose naturall body albeit it be received into the Heavens where he must abide till all be compleat that is forespoken by the Prophets yet hath he promised to be present with us to the end of the world And for that purpose and for the more assurance of his Promise he hath erected amongst us here in earth the Signes of his own presence with us his spirituall Tabernacle the true preaching of his Word and right administration of his Sacraments to the maintenance whereof is no lesse bound the subject then the Prince the poor then the rich For as the Price which was given for mans redemption is one so God requireth of all that shall be partakers of the benefits of the same a like duty which is a plain confession That by Christ Jesus alone we have received whatsoever was lost in Adam Of the Prince doth God require That he refuse himself and that he follow Christ Jesus of the Subject he requireth the same Of the Kings and Judges it is required That they kisse the Son that is give honour subjection and obedience to him and from such reverence doth not God exempt the Subject that shall be saved and this is That equality which is betwixt the kings and subjects the most rich or noble and betwixt the poorest and men of lowest state to wit That as the one is obliged to beleeve in heart and with mouth to confesse the Lord Jesus to be the onely Saviour of the world so also is the other Neither is there any of Gods children who hath attained to the yeers of discretion so poor but that he hath thus much to bestow upon the Ornaments and maintenance of their spirituall Tabernacle when necessity requireth neither yet is there any so rich of whose hands God requireth any more For albeit that David gathered great substance for the building of the Temple that Solomon with earnest diligence and incredible expences erected and finished the same That Hezekiah and Iosiah purged the Religion which before was corrupted yet to them was God no further debter in that respect then he was to the most simple of the faithfull posterity of faithfull Abraham for their diligence zeal and works gave rather testimony and confession before men what honour they did bear to God what love to his Word what reverence to his Religion then that any work proceeding from them did either establish or yet encrease Gods favour towards them who freely did love them in Christ his Son before the foundation of the world was laid So that these forenamed by their notable works gave testimony of their unfained faith and the same doth the poorest that unfainedly and openly professeth Christ Jesus and doth embrace his glad tydings offered That doth abhor Superstition and flie from Idolatry The poorest I say and most simple that this day on earth in the dayes of this cruell persecution firmly believeth in Christ and boldly doth confesse him before this wicked generation is no lesse acceptable before God neither is judged in his presence to have done any lesse in promoting Christ his Cause then is the King that by his sword and power which he hath received of God rooteth out Idolatry and so advanceth Christs glory But to return to our former purpose It is no lesse required I say of the subject to believe in Christ and to professe his true Religion then of the Prince and King And therefore I affirm That in Gods presence it shall not excuse you to alleadge That yee were no chief Rulers and therefore that the care and reformation of Religion did not appertain unto you Yee dear brethren as before is said are the creatures of God created to his own Image and similitude to whom it is commanded To hear the voice of your heavenly Father To embrace his Son Christ Jesus To flie from all doctrine and Religion which he hath not approved by his own Will revealed to us in his most blessed Word To which Precepts and Charges if yee be found inobedient ye shall perish in your iniquity as rebells and stubborn servants that have no pleasure to obey the good Will of their Soveraign Lord who most lovingly doth call for your obedience And therefore brethren in this behalf it is your part to be carefull and diligent For the question is not of things temporall which although they be endangered yet by diligence and processe of time may after be redressed but it is of the damnation of your bodies and souls and of the losse of life everlasting which once lost can never be recovered And therefore I say That it behoveth you to be carefull and diligent in this so weighty a matter lest that ye contemning this occasion which God now offereth finde not the like although that after with groaning and sobs ye languish for the same And that ye be not ignorant of what occasion I mean in few words I shall expresse it Not onely I but with me also divers other godly and learned men do offer unto you our labours faithfully to instruct you in the wayes of the eternall our God and in the sincerity of Christs Evangell which this day by the pestilent Generation of Antichrist I mean by the Pope and by his most ungodly Clergy are almost hid from the eyes of men We offer to jeopard our lives for the salvation of your souls and by manifest Scriptures to prove that Religion that amongst you is maintained by fire and sword to be false vain and diabolicall We require nothing of you but that patiently ye will hear our Doctrine which is not ours but the Doctrine of salvation revealed to the world by the onely Son of God And that ye will examine our reasons by the which we offer to prove the Papisticall Religion to be abominable before God And last we require That by your power the tyranny of those cruell beasts I mean of Priests and Fryers may be bridled till we have uttered our mindes in all matters this day debatable in Religion If these things in the fear of God ye grant to me and unto others that unfainedly for your salvation and for Gods glory require the same I am assured That of God ye shall be blessed whatsoever Satan shall devise against you But and if ye contemn or refuse God who thus lovingly offereth unto you salvation and life ye shall neither escape plagues Temporall which shortly shall apprehend you neither yet the torment prepared for the devill and for his angels except by your speedy repentance ye return to the Lord whom now ye refuse if that ye refuse the Messengers of his
they are altogether against Christ Jesus and against his eternall Verity every one serving Sathan the Prince of this world in their rank age degree and estate The murtherers of their brethren which this day live are guilty with Cain of the blood of Abel The Kings and Princes which by power oppresse the people of God and will not suffer that the people truely worship God as he hath commanded but will retain them in Egypt are brethren and companions to Pharaoh The Prelats and Priests whose horrible iniquities and insolent life have infected all Realmes where they raigne have with their fathers the old Pharisces taken away the key of knowledge and have shut up the Kingdom of heaven before men so that neither they themselves will enter neither yet will they suffer others to enter into the same And the multitude blinded some by ignorance some by fear and by insatiable appetite of their part of the spoyl for Christ being crucified the souldiers parted amongst them his garments are conjured to defend those murtherers proud pestilent Prelats against Christ Jesus and against his poor Flock And therefore because of one crime they are all guilty which is of treason and rebellion against Christ of one torment they shall all taste which is Of the fire that never shall be quenched And herein ought you Madame be circumspect and carefull if that ye hope for the life to come For if the consent which proceedeth of ignorance and blindenesse bringeth destruction and death as Christ our Master doth witnesse saying If the blinde lead the blinde they shall both fall into the ditch What shall become of the proud and malicious contemners of Gods Verity offered But our Doctrine perchance shall be denyed to be the Verity Whereunto I answer That so was the Doctrine of Noah of Moses of the Prophets of Christ Jesus and of his Apostles and yet the originall world perished by water Sodome and Gomorra by fire descending from heaven Pharaoh and his adherents in the Red Sea the City of Ierusalem and the whole Nation of the Jews by punishments and plagues notwithstanding that the whole multitude cryed This is a new doctrine this is heresie and tendeth to sedition Our Petition is That our Doctrine may be tryed by the plain Word of God That liberty be granted to utter and declare our mindes at large in every Article and Point which now are in controversie Which if ye deny giving ear to Christs enemies who condemne his doctrine for heresie ye shall drink the Cup of Gods wrath with them But now to the former Letter Letter I doubt not but the rumors which have come to your Majesties ears of me have been such that if all reports were true I were unworthy to live upon the earth And wonder it is That the voices of the multitude should not so have enflamed your Majesties heart with just hatred of such a one as I am accused to be that all accesse to pity should have been shut up I am traduced as an heretick accused as a false teacher and seducer of the people besides other opprobries which affirmed by men of worldly honour and estimation may easily kindle the wrath of Magistrates where innonocence is not known But blessed be God the Father of our Lord Iesus Christ who by the dew of his heavenly grace hath so quenched the fire of displeasure as yet in your Majesties heart which of late dayes I have understood that Sathan is frustrate of his enterprise and purpose which is to my heart no small comfort Not so much God is my witnesse for any benefit that I can receive in this miserable life by protection of any earthly creature for the cup which it behoveth me to drink is appointed by the wisedom of him whose counsels are not changeable as that I am for that benefit which I am assured your Majestie shall receive if that ye continue in like moderation and clemency towards others that most unjustly are and shall be accused as that your Majestie hath begun towards me and my most desperate Cause that is If that by godly wisedome ye shall studie to bridle the fury and rage of them who for the maintenance of their worldly pomp regard nothing the cruell murthering of simple innocents Then shall he who doth pronounce mercy to appertain to the mercifull and promiseth that a cup of cold water given for his Names sake shall not lack reward first cause your happy Government to be praised in this present age and in posterities to come and last recompence your godly pains and study with that joy and glory which eye hath not seen nor yet can enter into the heart of mortall creature Addition IF Christs words were esteemed true That of every idle word an accompt shall be given and that nothing is so secretly done which shall not come to knowledge and light I suppose that the tongues of men should be better bridled then impudently to speak their pleasure in matters unknown For albeit that the true fear of God should not move them to speak truth yet would I think if any spark of humanity remained that worldly shame should impede them to lye When reasoning was before your Majesty what man it was that preached in Aire and divers men were of divers opinions some affirming that it was an Englishman and some supposing the contrary a Prelate not of the least pride said Nay no Englishman but it is Knox that Knave It was my Lords pleasure so to Baptize a poor man The reason whereof if it should be required his Rochet and Miter must stand for Authority What further liberty he used in defining things like uncertain to him to wit of my learning and doctrine at this present I omit Lamenting more that such pestilent tongues have liberty to speak in the presence of Princes then that I am sorry for any hurt that their venome can do to me in body or fame For what hath my life and conversation been since it hath pleased God to call me from the puddle of Papistry let my very enemies speak And what learning I have they may prove when they please The report of your Majesties moderation as well at that time as after when suite was made for my taking moved me to write this my other Letter in which albeit I have not played the Orator trimming and decking the matter for the pleasure of itching and delicate ears yet doth my conscience bear me record That with simplicity I have advertised you of a mortall danger As this portion subsequent shall prove Letter SUperfluous and foolish it shall appear to many That I a man of low estate and condition dare enterprise to admonish a Princesse so honourable indued with wisedom and graces singular But when I consider the honour which God commandeth to be given to Magistrates which no doubt if it be true honour containeth in it self in lawfull things obedience and in
to think that our God beareth lesse love to his Church this day then that he hath done from the beginning For as our God in his own nature is immutable so remaineth his love towards his elect alwayes unchangeable For as in CHRIST JESUS he hath chosen his Church before the beginning of all ages so by him will he maintain and preserve the same unto the end Yea he will quiet the storms and cause the earth to open her mouth and receive those raging flouds of violent waters cast out by the Dragon to drown and carry away the woman which is the spouse of Jesus Christ unto whom God for his own Names â—ake will be the perpetuall Protector This saw that notable servant of Jesus Christ Athanasius who being exiled from Alexandria by that blasphemous Apostata Iulian the Emperour said unto his flock who bitterly wept for his envious banishment Weep not but be of good comfort said he For this little cloud will suddainly vanish A little cloud he called both the Emperour himself and his cruell tyranny And albeit That small appearance there was of any deliverance to the Church of God or yet of any punishment to have apprehended the proud tyrants when the man of God pronounced these words Yet shortly after God did give witnesse That those words did not proceed from flesh nor blood but from Gods very spirit For not long after being in warfare he received a deadly wound whether by his own hand or by one of his own souldiers the Writers cleerly conclude not But casting his own blood against the Heaven he said Vicisti tandem Galilee That is At last thou hast overcome thou Galilean So in despite he termed the Lord Jesus and so perished that tyrant in his own iniquity The storm ceased and the Church of God received now comfort Such shall be the end of all cruell persecuters Their raign shall be short their end miserable and their name shall be left in execrations to Gods people and yet shall the Church of God remain to Gods glory after all storms But now shortly let us come to the last point For behold saith the Prophet the Lord will come out of his place to visit the iniquitie of the Inhabitants of the earth upon them and the earth shall disclose her blood and shall no more hide her slain because that the finall end of the troubles of Gods Chosen shall not be before that the Lord Iesus shall return to restore all things to their full perfection The Prophet bringeth forth the Etenall God as it were from his owne place and habitation and therewith sheweth the cause of his coming to bee That hee might take account of all such as have wrought wickedly for that he meaneth where he saith Hee will visit the iniquity of the inhabitants of the earth upon them And lest that any should thinke That the wrong doers are so many that they cannot bee called to an account he giveth unto the earth as it were an Office and charge to beare witnesse against all those that have wrought wickedly and chiefly against those that have shed innocent blood from the beginning and saith That the earth shall disclose her blood and shall no more hide her slain men If Tyrants of the earth and such as delight in the shedding of blood should be perswaded that this sentence is true they would not so furiously come to their own destruction for what man can be so enraged that he would willingly do even before the eyes of God that which might provoke his Majestie to anger yea provoke him to become his enemy for ever if that he understood how fearfull a thing it is to fall into the hands of the living God The cause then of this blinde fury of the world is the ignorance of God and that men think that God is but an Idoll and that there is no knowledge above that beholdeth their Tyranny neither yet Justice that will nor power that can represse their impiety but yet the Spirit of truth doth witnesse the contrary affirming That as the eyes of the Lord are upon the just and as his ears are ready to receive their sobbing and prayers so is his angry visage against such as work iniquitie he hateth and holdeth in abomination every deceitfull and blood-thirsty man whereof he hath given sufficient document from age to age in preserving the one or at least in revenging of their cause and in punishing of the other Where it is said That the Lord will come from his place and that he will visit the iniquity of the inhabitants of the earth upon them and that the earth shall disclose her blood we have to consider what most commonly hath been and what shall be the condition of the Church of God to wit That it is not onely hated mocked and despised but that it is exposed as it were in a prey unto the fury of the wicked so that the blood of the Children of God is spilt like unto water upon the face of the earth The understanding whereof albeit it be unpleasant to the flesh yet to us it is most profitable lest that we seeing the cruell entreatings of Gods servants begin to forsake the Spouse of Jesus Christ because that she is not so dealt withall in this unthankfull world as the just and upright dealing of Gods Children do deserve But contrariwise for mercy they receive crueltie for doing good to many of all the reprobate they receive evill And this is decreed in Gods eternall Councell that the members may follow the trace of the head to the end that God in his just judgement should finally condemne the wicked for how should he punish the inhabitants of the earth if their iniquitie deserved it not How should the earth disclose our blood if it should not bee unjustly spilt Wee must then commit our selves into the hands of our God and lay downe our neckes yea and patiently suffer our blood to bee shed that the righteous Judge may require account as most assuredly hee shall of all the blood that hath been shed from the blood of Abel the just till the day that the earth shall disclose the same I say every one that sheddeth or consenteth to shed the blood of Gods Children shall be guilty of the whole So that all the blood of Gods children shall crie vengeance not onely in generall but also in particular upon every one that hath shed the blood of any that unjustly suffered And if any thinke it strange that such as live this day can be guilty of the blood that was shed in the dayes of the Apostles let them consider that the verity it selfe pronounced That all the blood that was shed from the dayes of Abel unto the dayes of Zacharie should come upon that unthankfull generation that heard his Doctrine and refused it The reason is evident for as there is two heads and captains that rule over the whole world to wit Jesus Christ the Prince of