The certaintie of the death foirsaid was signified unto us both by sea and land. By sea receaved Johnne Knox (who then had great intelligence both with the churches,[299] and some of the Courte of France) letteris, that the King was mortallye seak, and could nott weall eschap the death. Which letteris receaved, that same day at afternoon, he passed to the Duckis Grace, to his awin ludging at the Kirk of Feild,[300] [with] whome he fand the Lord James in conference togitther, (the Erle of Arrane was in Jedburgh,) to whome he opened such newis as he had receaved, and willed thame to be of good conforte; for, said he, the advertissare never hes yitt abused me: it is the same gentilman that first gave us knawledge of the slauchter of Hary King of France; and shew unto thame the letter, but wold nott expresse the manis name. Whill thei war reassonying in diverse purposes; and he upoun the one parte conforting thame, and thei upoun the other parte conforting him, (for he was in no small heaviness be reassone of the late death of his dear bedfellow, Marjorie Bowis,)[301] whill (we say) thei three war familiarlie commonyng togetther, thair came a messinger from the Lord Grey,[302] furth of Berwick, with letteris, assuring him of the death of the King of France. Which devulgat and noysed abrode, a generall Conventioun of the haill Nobilitie was appointed to be holdin at Edinburgh the fyvetene[303] day of Januare following, in the whiche the Booke of Discipline was perused newlie oure agane, for some pretended ignorance, be reassone thei had not heard it.
AND AFTER WAS MADE BYSCHOPE OF ROSS.
In that assemblie was Maister Alexander Andersone, sub-principall of Abirdene,[304] a man more subtill and craftye then ather learned or godlie, called, who refused to dispute in his fayth, abusing a place of Tertulliane to cloik his ignorance. It was ansuered unto him, That Tertulliane should nott prejudge the authoritie of the Holy Ghost, who, by the mouth of Peter, commandis us to geve reassone for our faith to everie one that requires the same of us. It was farther answered, That we neather required him neather yitt any man to dispute in any pointe concernyng our fayth, whiche was grounded upoun Godis word, and fully expressed within his holy Scriptures; for all that we belevit without contraversie. But we required of him, as of the rest of Papistis, that thei wald suffer thair doctrin, constitutionis, and ceremonies to come to tryall; and principallie, that the Messe, and the opinioun thairof by thame taught unto the people, mycht be laid to the squair-reull of Goddis worde, and unto the rycht institutioun of Jesus Christ, that thei mycht understand whither that thair Preacheris offended or nott, in that, that thei affirmed, "The actioun of the Messe to be expressedlye repugnyng unto the last Supper of the Lord Jesus; the sayar of it to committ horrible blasphemye, in usurping upoun him the office of Christ; the hearars to committ damnable idolatrie, and the opinioun of it conceaved to be derogatioun, and as it war, disanulling of Christis death." Whill that the said Maister Alexander denyed that the preast took upoun him Christis office, to offer for syne, as was alledged, a Messe book was produced, and in the begyning of the Canon war these wordis redd: Suscipe, Sancta Trinitas, hanc oblationem, quam ego indignus peccator offero tibi vivo Deo et vero, pro peccatis meis, pro peccatis totius Ecclesiæ vivorum et mortuorum, &c.[305] "Now, (said the reasonare,) yf to offer for the synnes of the haill Kirk was nott the office of Christ Jesus, yea, that office that to him onlie mycht, and may apparteane, lett the Scripture judge. And yf a vyle knave, whome ye call the preast, proudlie tackis the same upoun him, lett your awin hook witnesse." The said Maister Alexander ansuered, "Christ offered the propitiatorie, and that could nane do but he; but we offer the remembrance." Whairto it was ansuered, "We praise God, that ye have denyed a sacrifice propitiatorie to be in the Masse; and yet we offer to prove, that in mo then a hundreth places of your Papisticall Doctouris, this propositioun is affirmed, 'The Messe is a sacrifice propitiatorie.' But, to the secound parte, whair ye allege that ye offer Christ in remembrance, we ask, first, Unto whome do ye offer him? and nixt, By what authoritie are ye assured of weall-doing? In God the Father, thair fallis no oblivioun: and yf ye will yitt schift and say, That ye offer it nott as God war forgetfull, but as willing to apply Christis merittis to his Churche; we demand of you, What power and commandiment ye have so to do? We know that our Maister, Christ Jesus, commanded his Apostles to do that whiche he did 'in remembrance of him;' but plane it is, that Christ took bread, gave thankis, braik bread, and gave it to his disciples, saying, 'Tak ye, eat ye; this is my body whiche is broken for you. Do this in remembrance of me,' &c. Here we fynd a commandiment to tak, to eat, to tak and to drink; but to offer Christis body eather for remembrance or applicatioun, we fynd not: and thairfoir, we say, to tack upoun you ane office which is nott gevin unto you, is injust usurpatioun, and no lauchfull power." The said Maister Alexander being more then astonished, wold have schifted; but then the Lordis willed him to ansuer directlie. Whairto he ansured, "That he was better seane in philosophie, then in theologie." Then was commanded Maister Johne Leslie, (who then was Parsone of Une, and now Lord Abbote of Londoris,)[306] to ansuer to the formare argument: and he with grait gravitie begane to answer, "Yf our Maister have nothing to say to it, I have nothing; for I knaw nothing but the Cannoun Law: and the greatest reassone that ever I could fynd thair, is Nolumus and Volumus." And yitt we understand that now he is the onlie patrone of the Messe. But it is no mervall, for he understoode that he is a Preastis gett; and thairfoir we should nott wonder albeit that the auld trowane verse be trew, Patrem sequitur sua proles. The Nobilitie hearing that neather the one nor the other wold ansure directlie, said, "We have bene miserable deceaved heirtofoir; for yf the Messe may not obteane remissioun of synnes to the quick and to the dead, whairfoir war all the Abacyes so richelie doted with oure temporall landis?"
THE LYEING DEANE OF RESTALRIG CALLED SYNCLARE.[307]
Thus much we thocht good to insert here, becaus that some Papistis ar nott eschamed now to affirme, That thei with thair reassonis could never be hearde; but that all that we did, we did by fyn force; when that the haill Realme knawis, that we ever requyred thame to speak thair judgmentis freelie, not onlie promissing unto thame protectioun and defense, but also that we should subscrive with thame, yf thei by Goddis Scriptures could confute us, and by the same word establisse thair assertionis. "But who can correct the leasingis of such as in all thingis schaw thame selves the sones of the Father of all lyes. Preserve us, Lord, from that perverst and malitious generatioun. Amen."
At this same Assemblie was the Lord James appoynted to go to France to the Quene oure Soverane;[308] and a Parliament was appointed to begyn the twenty of Maij nixt following; for at that tyme was the returne of the said Lord James looked for. And so was that Conventioun dissolved without any other thing of importance concluded. The said Lord James prepared him for his jornay; (for albeit he past in the publict effairis, he susteaned the charge of his awin expensses; and yit thair never past fra this Realme in the cumpanye of one man so many, and so honest, throwght England to France.) Befoir he departed, he was foirwarned asweill of the danger in France, as of the Quenis craft, (not that we then suspected her nature, but that we understoode the malice of hir freindis:) he was planelie premonisshed, that yf ever he condiscended that sche should have Messe publictlie or privatlie within the Realme of Scotland, that then betrayed he the caus of God, and exponed the religioun evin to the uttermoist danger that he could do. That sche should have Messe publictlie, he affirmed that he should never consent: but to have it secreatlie in hir chalmer, who could stopp hir? The danger was schawin; and so he departed.
The Electioun of the Superintendentis heirefter followed in this maner:[309]—
. . . . . .