The History of the Reformation of Religion in Scotland / With Which Are Included Knox's Confession and The Book of Discipline

by John Knox

John Knox preaches against the Queen's Mass.

On the next Sunday, John Knox, inveighing against idolatry, showed what terrible plagues God had laid upon realms and nations for this; and added that one Mass (there were no more suffered at the first) was more fearful to him than if ten thousand armed enemies were landed in any part of the realm, for the purpose of suppressing the whole religion. "In our God," said he, "there is strength to resist and confound multitudes, if we unfeignedly depend upon Him; and of this we have had experience heretofore. But when we join hands with idolatry, there is no doubt that both God's amicable presence and comfortable defence leave us, and what shall then become of us? Alas, I fear that experience shall teach us, to the grief of many." At these words, the guiders of the Court mocked, and plainly said that such fear was no point of their faith: it was outside his text, and was a very untimely admonition....

John Knox reasons with the Queen.

Whether it was by counsel of others, or of the Queen's own desire, we know not; but the Queen spake with John Knox, and had long reasoning with him, none being present except the Lord James: two gentlewomen stood at the other end of the apartment. The sum of their reasoning was this. The Queen accused him of having raised a part of her subjects against her mother and against herself. He had, she said, written a book against her just authority (she meant the treatise against the regiment of women) which she had, and she should cause the most learned in Europe to write against it; he was the cause of great sedition and great slaughter in England; she was informed that all he did was by necromancy, and so on.

The said John answered, "Madam, it may please your Majesty patiently to hear my simple answers. And first," said he, "if to teach the truth 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 can I not be excused; for it has pleased God in His mercy to make me one, amongst many, to disclose unto this realm the vanity of the papistical religion, and the deceit, pride, and tyranny of that Roman Antichrist. But, Madam, if the true knowledge of God and His right worshipping be the chief causes that must move men from their heart to obey their just princes, as it is most certain that they are, wherein can I be reprehended? I think, and am surely persuaded, that your Grace has had, and presently has, as unfeigned obedience from such as profess Jesus Christ within this realm, as ever your father, or other progenitors had from those that were called bishops. And, touching that book which seemeth so highly to offend your Majesty, it is most certain that I wrote it, and am content that all the learned of the world should judge of it. I hear that an Englishman hath written against it, but I have not read him. If he have sufficiently improved my reasons, and established his contrary proposition, with as evident testimonies as I have done mine, I shall not be obstinate, but shall confess my error and ignorance. But to this hour I have thought, and yet think myself alone to be more able to sustain the things affirmed in that work, than any ten in Europe shall be able to confute it."

Queen Mary. Ye think, then, that I have no just authority?

John Knox. Please, your Majesty, learned men in all ages have had their judgments free, and most commonly disagreeing from the common judgment of the world; such also have they published, both with pen and tongue, and yet they themselves have lived in common society with others, and have borne patiently with the errors and imperfections which they could not amend. Plato, the philosopher, wrote his book of The Commonwealth. In this he damned many things that then were maintained in the world, and required many things to be reformed; and yet he lived under such polities as then were universally received, without further troubling any state. Even so, Madam, am I content to do, in uprightness of heart, and with the testimony of a good conscience. I have communicated my judgment to the world; if the realm finds no inconvenience from the regiment of a woman, that which they approve shall I not disallow, further than within my own breast. I shall be as well content to live under your Grace as Paul was to live under Nero; and my hope is that, so long as ye defile not your hands with the blood of the saints of God, neither I nor that book shall either hurt you or your authority: for, in very deed, Madam, that book was written most especially against that wicked Jezebel of England.

Queen Mary. But ye speak of women in general.

John Knox. Most true it is, Madam, and yet it appeareth to me that wisdom should persuade your Grace never to raise trouble for that which to this day hath not troubled your Majesty, in person or in authority. Of late years, many things, which before were holden stable, have been called in doubt; yea, they have been plainly impugned. But yet, Madam, I am assured that neither Protestant nor Papist shall be able to prove that any such question was at any time moved in public or in secret. Now, Madam, if I had intended to have troubled your estate because ye are a woman, I might have chosen a time more convenient for that purpose than I can do now, when your own presence is within the realm.

But now, Madam, shortly to answer to the other two accusations. I heartily praise my God, through Jesus Christ, that Satan, the enemy of mankind, and the wicked of the world, have no other crimes to lay to my charge, than such as the very world itself knoweth to be most false and vain. I was resident in England for only the space of five years. The places were Berwick, where I abode two years; so long in Newcastle; and a year in London. Now, Madam, if any man shall be able to prove that there was either battle, sedition, or mutiny in any of these places, during the time that I was there, I shall confess that I myself was the malefactor, and the shedder of the blood. Further, Madam, I am not ashamed to affirm that God so blessed my weak labours that, in Berwick, where commonly before there used to be slaughter, by reason of quarrels that used to arise amongst soldiers, there was as great quietness, all the time that I remained there, as there is this day in Edinburgh. And where they slander me of magic, necromancy, or of any other art forbidden by God, I have, besides my own conscience, all congregations that ever heard me as witnesses that I spake against such arts, and against those that use such impiety....