At the same time, the Superintendents, with the other Ministers of the Churches, perceiving the Ministery like to decay for lack of payment of stipends to Ministers, they gave this Supplication at Edinburgh.
The Supplication of the Ministers to the Queen.
"Unto your Majesty, and your most honourable Councel, most humbly and lamentably complains your Highnesse poor Orators, the Superintendents, and other Ministers of the Reformed Church of God, travelling thorowout all your Highnesse Realm, in teaching and instructing your lieges in all quarters, in the knowledge of God, and Christ Jesus his Sonne; That where your Majesty, with the advice of the Councell and Nobility aforesaid, moved by godly zeal, concluded and determined, that the travelling ministry thorowout this Realm, should bee maintained upon the rents of the Benefices of this Realm of Scotland; and for that cause your Majestie, with the advice of the Counsell and Nobility aforesaid, upon the 15. day of December 1562, in like manner concluded and determined, That if the said part of the rents of the whole Benefices Ecclesiasticall within this Realm would be sufficient to maintain the Ministers thorowout the whole Realm, and to support your Majesty in the setting forward of your common affaires, should be employed accordingly: Failing thereof, the Third part of the said fruits, or more, to be taken up yearly in time comming, untill a generall order be taken therein; as the act made thereupon at more length bears: Which being afterward considered by your Majestie, the whole Thirds of the fruits aforesaid were propounded to the uses aforesaid, by Act of Councell. And we your Majestie's poore Orators, put in peaceable possession of the part assigned by your Majestie to us, by the space of three years, or thereabouts, which we did enjoy without interruption; notwithstanding all this, now of late, we your Majestie's poore Orators aforesaid, are put wrongfully and unjustly from their aforesaid part of the above specified Thirds, by your Majestie's officers, and thereby brought to such extreme penury, and extreme distress, as we are not able any longer to maintain our selves. And albeit we have given in divers and sundry complaints to your Majestie herein, and have received divers promises of redress, yet have we found no relief: Therefore, we most humbly beseech your Majesty to consider our most grievous complaint, together with the right above specified, whereon the same is grounded. And if your Majesty, with the advice of your Councell aforesaid, finds our right sufficient to continue us in possession of our part assigned to us, while, and untill a generall order be taken; which possession was ratified by the yearly allowance of your Majesties Exchequer's accompt, that your Majestie would grant us letters upon the aforesaid Act and Ordinance past thereupon, against all intromettors and medlers with the aforesaid Thirds, to answer and obey, according to the aforesaid Act and Ordinance of our possession proceeding thereupon; and likewise, that we may have letters, if need be, to arrest and stay the aforesaid Thirds in the possessor's hands, while, and untill sufficient caution be found to us for our part aforesaid. And your Answer most humbly we beseech."
This Supplication being presented by the Superintendent of Lowthian, and Master John Craig, in the Castle of Edinburgh, was graciously received by the Queen, who promised that she would take sufficient order therein, so soon as the Nobility and Councell might convene.
The 19. of June, the Queen was delivered of a man childe, (the Prince in the aforesaid Castle,) [who after was named James,][1125] and immediately sent into France and England her posts, to advertise the neighbour Princes, and to desire them to send gossips or witnesses to the Prince's baptisme. In the mean time, there was joy and triumph made in Edinburgh, and such other places where it was known, after thanks and praises given unto God, with supplications for the godly education of the Prince; and principally, wishing that he should be baptized according to the manner and forme observed in the Reformed Churches within this Realm.
[The order Of Paul Methven's repentance.]
About the same time, to wit, the 25. of June, the Generall Assembly of the whole Church convened at Edinburgh. The Earles of Argyle and Murray assisted at the Assembly: Paul Methven, who before, as we heard, was excommunicate, gave in his Supplication, and desired to be heard, as he had done divers times; for the said Paul had written oft times out of England to the Laird of Dun, and to divers others, most earnestly desiring to be received again into the fellowship of the Church. After reasoning of the matter, it was finally granted, that he should be heard: And so being before the Assembly, and falling upon his knees, burst out with teares, and said, He was not worthy to appeare in their presence; alwayes he desired them, for the love of God, to receive him to the open expression of his repentance. Shortly after, they appointed certaine of the ministers to proscribe to him the forme of his declaration of repentance, which was thus in effect; First, That he should present himselfe bare-foot and bare-head, arayed in sack-cloth, at the principall entry of Saint Gyles Kirk in Edinburgh, at seven hours in the morning, upon the next Wednesday, and there to remain the space of an hour, the whole people beholding him, till the prayer was made, psalmes sung, and [the] text of Scripture was read, and then to come into the place appointed for expression of repentance, and tarry the time of sermon; and to do so likewise the next Friday following, and also upon the Sunday; and then, in the face of the whole church, to declare his repentance with his owne mouth. The same forme and manner he should use in Jedwart and Dundie: And that being done, to present himself again at the next Generall Assembly following in winter, where he should be received to the communion of the Church. When the said Paul had received the said Ordinance, he took it very grievously, alleadging, they had used over-great severity: Neverthelesse, being counselled and perswaded by divers notable personages, he began well in Edinburgh to proceed, whereby a great number were moved with compassion of his state; and likewise in Jedwart: but he left his duty in Dundie, and passing againe into England, the matter, not without offence to many, ceased.
See in what sense proud ambitious men takes the name of Bishop.
As is said before.
The Ministers complaining that they could not be payed their stipends, were licensed by the Assembly to passe to other churches to preach, but in no wise to leave the ministery. And because that the Queen's Majesty had promised often before to provide remedy, it was thought expedient that supplication should be yet made, as before, That the Queen's Majestie should cause such order to be taken, that the poore ministers might be payed their stipends. The Bishop of Galloway, who was brother to the Earle of Huntley, and now a great man in the Court, travelled much with the Queen's Majesty in that matter, and got of her a good answer, and faire promises. A few years before, the said Bishop of Galloway desired of the Generall Assembly to be made Superintendent of Galloway; but now being promoted to great dignity, as to be of the number of the Lords of the Privy Councell, and likewise one of the Session,[1126] he would no more be called Over-looker, or Over-seer of Galloway, but Bishop: Alwayes truth it is, that he laboured much for his nephew the Earle of Huntley, that he might be restored to his lands and honours; for the said Earle was new Chancellor,[1127] since the slaughter of David Rizio, and had for his clawback the Bishop of Rosse, Master John Lesley, one of the chief Councellors to the Queen: But of all men the Earle Bothwell was most in the Queen's favour, so far, that all things past by him; yea, by his meanes the most part of all those that were partakers in the slaughter of David Rizio, got remission and relief. But from that day he was not present at any sermon, albeit before he professed the Evangel by outward speaking, yet he never joyned to the Congregation. But this time the Earle of Cassils[1128] was contracted with the Lord of Glames sister, by whose perswasion he became a Protestant, and caused, in the moneth of August, to reforme his churches in Carrick, and promised to maintaine the doctrine of the Evangell.
The Queen, not yet satisfied with the death of her man David, caused in August to be apprehended a man called Hary,[1129] who sometime had been of her Chapell-Royall, but afterward became an exhorter in a Reformed Church; and for want of stipend, or other necessaries, past in service to my Lord Ruthven, and chanced that night to be present when the said David was slaine; and so, finally, he was condemned, and hanged, and quartered.