The threitnyngis of the prechouris wer feirfull; but the Courte thocht the self in [such] securitie that it coulde nocht myscary.[974] The Quene, efter the banketting, keipit a dyett [be directioun of] Monsieur Lusury, Frenche man, who had bene acquaintit with hir maladie befoir, being hir physicioun:[975] And theirefter sche, for the secound tyme, maid hir progresses in the North,[976] and commandit to waird in the Castell of Edinburgh the Erle of Kaithness,[977] for ane murther committit be his servandis upoun the Erle of Merchellis men. He obeyit, bot he wes sodentlie relevit; for sik blude-thrystie men and Papeistis, sik as he is, ar best subjectis to the Quene. "Thy kingdome cum, O Lord; for in this Realme is no thing (amangis sik as soulde punische vyce and mentene vertew) but abhominatiounis abounding withoute brydell."
The flatteraris[978] of the Courte did daylie inrage aganis the pure Prechouris: happyest wes he that coulde invent the moist bytter tantis and disdainfull mokingis of the Mynisteris. And at lenth thai began to jest at the terme of Idolatrie, affirmyng, "That men wist nocht what thai spak, quhan thai callit the Messe Idolatrie." Yea, sum proceidit farder, and feirit nocht at opin tabilles to affirme, "That thai wald sustene the argument, that the Messe wes no Idolatrie." These thingis cuming to the earis of the prechouris, wer proclamit in publyct pulpett of Edinburgh, with this complaynt direct be the speikare[979] to his God. "O Lord, how lang sall the wyckit prevaill aganis the juste! How lang sall thou suffer thy self and thy blessit Evangill to be dyspysit of men; of men, we say, that makis[980] thame selfis defendaris of the treuth! For of thy manifest and knawin ennemeis we complene nocht, bot of such as unto whom thou hes reveilit thy lycht: for now it cumis into our eiris, that men, not Papistis, we say, bot cheif Protestantis, will defend the Messe to be no Idolatrie. Giff so wer, O Lord, myserablie haif I bene disavit, and myserablie, alace, O Lord, haif I deceavit thy peopill; quhilk thou knawis, O Lord, I haif evir moir abhorrit than a thousand deithis. Bot," said he, turnyng his face towardis the rowme where sik men as so had affirmed, sat, "Gif I be nocht able to prove the Messe to be the moist abhominable Idolatrie that evir wes useit sen the begynning of the Worlde, I offer my self to suffer the punischement appoyntit be God to a fals teichare; and it appeiris unto me," said the preichare, "that the affirmeris soulde be subject to the same law: for it is the treuthe of God that ye persecute and blaspheme; and it is the inventioun of the Devill, that obstinatlie aganis his Worde, ye menteyne. Whairat, albeit ye now flyrt and ye flyre, as [thocht] that all wer spokin wer but wind,[981] yit am I [als] assureit, as I am assureit that my God leveth, that sum that hear this your defectioun and railling aganis the treuthe and servandis of God, sall see ane pairt of Godis jugementis poured furth upoun this Realme, (and pryncipallie upoun you[982] that fastest cleifes to the favour of the Courte,) for the abominatiounes that ar be you menteneit." Albeit that suche vehemencie provoikit teiris of sum, yit those men that knew themselfis guilty, in a mocking maner said, "We must recant, and burne oure bill; for the Prechouris ar angrie."
ANNO 1564.
THIS WES NEVIR DONE BE THIS AUTHOR.
The Generall Assemblie, halden in Junij 1564,[983] approcheit, unto the which greit[984] pairt of the Nobylatie, of those that ar callit Protestantis, convenit; sum for assistance of the mynisteris, and sum to accuse thame, as we will efter heir.[985]
A lyttill befoir the trubles, quhich Sathan raised in the bodie of the Kirk, began Davie[986] to grow grit in Courte. The Quene usit him for Secretarie, in thingis that appertenit to hir secreit effaires, in France[987] or ellis quhair. Grit men maid in Courte unto him, and thair sutes wer the better heard. Bot of the begynning and progress, we delay now forder to speik, becaus his end will requyre the descryptioune of the whole: [And referris it unto suche, as God sall rayse up to do the same.][988]
The first day of the Generall Assemblie, the Courtiouris nor the Lordis that dependit upoun the Court, presentit nocht thame selfis in the sessioun with thair Bretherin. Whairat monie wondering, ane anceyant and honorable man, the Laird of Lundie,[989] said, "Nay, I wonder nocht of thair present absence; but I wonder that at our last Assemblie, thai drew thame selfis ane pairt, and joynit nocht with us, but drew from us some of our mynisteris, and wylleit thame to conclude sik thingis as war never proponit in the publick Assemblie, [quhilk apperis to me to be a thing][990] verrie prejudiciall to the libertie of the Kirk. And, thairfoir, my jugement is, that thai salbe informit of this offence, quhilk the whole Bretherin haif consaveit of thair former falt; humblie requyring thame, that gif thai be Bretherin, thai will assist thair Bretherin with thair presence and counsall, for we had nevir grytter neid. And gif thai be myndit to fall back from us, it wer better we knaw it now than afterward." Thairto aggreyit the whole Assemblie, and gaif commissioun to certene Bretherin to signify the myndis of the Assemblie to the Lordis; quhilk wes done that same day efter noon.[991]
The Courteouris at first semeit nocht a lyttill offendit, that thay sould be as it wer suspectit of defectioun: yit, nevirtheles, upoun the morrow, thai joynit with the Assemblie, and come into it: But thai drew thame selfis, lyke as thai did befoir, apairt, and enterit the Inner Counsell-house. Thair wes the Dukis Grace, the Erles Argyle, Murray, Mortoun, Glencarne, Merchell, Rothes; the Maister of Maxwell, Secretour Lethingtoun, the Justice Clark, the Clark of Register, and the Controllour, the Laird of Pittarro.
Efter a lyttill consultatioun, thai direct ane messinger, Mr. George Hay,[992] than callit the Minister of the Court, requyring the Superintendantis, and sum of the leirnit ministeris, to confer with thame. The Assemblie ansuerit, "That thai convenit to delyberat upoun the commoun effairis of the Kirk; and, thairfoir, that thay could nocht lack thair Superintendantis and cheif ministeris, whose jugementis wer so necessarie, that without thame the rest sould sit as it wer idill; and thairfoir willand thame (as of befoir) that gif thay acknawlege thame selfis memberis of the Kirk, that thai wald joyne with the Bretherin, and propone in publict sik thingis as thai pleissit; and so thai sould haif the assistance of the whole in all thingis that mycht stand to Godis commandiment. But to send from thame selfis a portioun of thair companie, thai understand that thairof hurt and sclander mycht aryse, rather than anie proffeit or conforte to the Kirk: for thay feirit, that all men sould nocht stand content with the conclusioun, whair the conference and ressounis wer hard but of a few."
This ansuer wes nocht giffin without cause; for no small travell wes maid, to haif drawin sum mynisteris to the factioun of the Courtiouris, and to haif sustenit thair argumentis and opiniounis. But whan it wes persaifit be the moist politick amangis thame, that thai could not prevaill be that meanes, thai proponeit the matter in uther termis, purging thame selfis, first, that thai nevir ment to devyde[993] thame selfis from the sociatie of thair bretherin; but, because thai had certane heidis to confer with certane ministeris; thairfoir, for avoyding of confusioun, thai thocht it mair expedient to haif the conference befoir a few, rather than in the publict audience. But the Assemblie[994] did still reply, "That secreit conference wald thay nocht admit in those heidis that sould be concludit be generall voit." The Lordis promeissit, "That no conclusioun sould be taikin, nether yit voit requyreit, till that bayth the propositiounis and the ressounis sould be heard, and considderit of the whole bodie." And upoun that conditioun wer directit unto thame, with expressit chairge to conclude no thing without the knawledge[995] and advyse of the Assemblie, the Laird of Dun, Superintendant of Anguss, the Superintendantis of Lothyane and Fyffe,[996] Mr. John Row, Mr. John Craig, Williame Crystisoune, Mr. David Lyndesay, mynisteris, with the Rectour of Sanctandrois,[997] and Mr. George Hay; the Superintendant of Glasgow, Mr. Johne Willok, wes Moderatour, and Johne Knox waitit upoun the Scrybe. And so thay wer appoyntit to sit with the Bretherin. And that because the principall compleint tuychit[998] Johne Knox, he wes also callit for.