History of the Reformation of the Church of Scotland

THE ECCLESIASTICALL HISTORY OF SCOTLAND.

To the Reader.

H Ere I present unto thee a Piece, I dare promise, worthy of thy reading; wherein thou hast a true and plain Relation (without disguising) of many memorable Passages happened in the Church of God, and likewise some notable ones in the State of the Kingdom of Scotland, from the very first settling of State and Church in that Country. But namely, and chiefly, thou hast here related what principally passed in Church and State in this our Country, during the great Work of purging the Church from the Superstitions and Idolatry, and freeing both Church and State from the Tyranny and Slavery of Popery, until the coming of King James, our late Sovereign, to the Crown of Scotland. Further, beside the true and faithful Relation of many Occurrences that fell out in these days in Scotland, thou hast unfolded unto thee, and made plain, the strong Reasons, and necessery Causes that moved these men who are here named, although infirm and weak in themselves, to undergo the great Work of Reformation: With the solid Grounds upon which they went on with this weighty Business willingly and cheerfully, notwithstanding the great rubs and difficulties they met withal, through the help and assistance of God, who by them, mean Instruments, brought things to pass, in despite of the malice and stratagems of Satan, with his agents, for the good of his People, and the settling of his Church in Purity and Liberty.

All these things are set down plainly and simply, in familiar and homely Language; Yet so, that they may be with ease apprehended and understood by any one. From what thou hast here, written in this Volume, although there were no other Writings in this kind extant, thou mayest see easily, by what means the great Mystery of Iniquity, from the very first Rise, hath been set afoot, and constantly, ever since, hath been carried on; to wit, By cunning Devices, impudent Lyes, continued and crafty Plots, under specious Pretexts, and open Oppression, Tyranny, and Cruelties, within Scotland, till the year of Christ 1567. After which time, the enemies of God, and of his People, have not been sleeping, till this present, more then formerly. Wherefore, for thy good, Christian Reader, I have thought fit in this place to point at some main Occurrences from that time till now.

First then, the adversaries of Truth and Goodness, under the specious Pretext of restoring Queen Mary to her Liberty, and of re-establishing her in full Authority, and sole Power, did disquiet and trouble both Church and State in Scotland, both with open Force, and subtle Plots, for some years, that is, to the 1573 year. But finding that all their Undertakings, under this pretext, proved to be in vain, and without success, and standing to their main Design of undoing Religion and Liberty, they bethought themselves of another way, in appearance more plausible, for compassing their wicked Intents; it was, To deal, by way of entreaty and request, with the chief Ministers of State and Church then, To have the Mother set at liberty, and to be joint in Authority and Power with her Son. And, for the obtaining of this, was employed the credit of the French Court for the time, with all its skill and cunning; but to small purpose: For these rude fellows, who managed the public Affairs then of State and Church, could not be corrupted with the French Complements. In this way the enemies continued, till the year 1577, and did not then give over, notwithstanding their bad success; but, according to their wonted and resolved custom, they went on with their Design, betaking themselves to a new course; wherein, they had indeed more success then in either of the former two: It was this; They did set awork certain men, who with fair words, and flattering tales, so craftily dealt with the young King, hardly yet twelve years of age, that they made him cast off, as a yoke, the counsel and service of those, who, ever since his Birth-day, had carefully labored for the good of State and Church, with the pereservation of his Authority, and safety of his Person: And so the inconsiderate young King, although of most nimble wit and knowing, above his years, under the show of freedom, put himself in the power of those who wished no good to his Person and Authority, and as little to the Church and State, making no scruple to trouble both for their own ends, according to the Instructions of the Masters who set them awork. So, in very short time, they gave unto the young King such impressions (which did stick too much to him) that not only he became averse from those who had been so useful to the public, and so serviceable to him, but also he suffered them to be persecuted, yea, some by death, and others by banishment.

While the enemies were thus working business with us in Scotland, they were not idle with our neighbors in England; for they were contriving and plotting, under color of setting the imprisoned Queen at liberty: And were gone so far on in this way in both Kingdoms, that to stop the course and progress of the enemies, both Countries thought it necessary to enter into a mutual League and Covenant one with another, for the defense of the Reformed Religion, and Liberties of both Kingdoms, with the preservation of the Persons and Authorities of both Princes, King James and Queen Elizabeth, against the common enemy. This was done by the consent of both Princes, in the year 1686.

After this, the enemy seeing the wariness of both Kingdoms to be such, that in a short time he was not likely to advance the main Design according to his mind, by craft and cunning leaveth off for a time to act the part of the Fox, and openly declares himself to be a ravishing Wolf: So the year 1588 the Armado cometh against both Kingdoms, which God, in his mercy unto our fathers and us, brought to naught. About this time, and some years before, the agents of the enemy were very busy with King James to break with England, and to revenge the hard usage, and ill treatment of his Mother: But God did direct him so, for his own good, that he did give no consent to their evil counsel. Upon this refusal of the Kings, the agents of the common enemy do bestir themselves to trouble both King and Kingdom; which they did in a high measure, in the year 1595. This gave occasion then both to Prince and people to enter into Covenant for the defense of the Truth, and pure Doctrine of the Church, with the Reformed Discipline, and of the safety of the King and Kingdom; by which means, the proceedings of the enemies was stopped for a while.

Now the time drawing near of the Kings coming to the Crown of England, the watching enemy returns to work again, in another manner then he had done hitherto; which was this: By the mouths of some timorous and worldly men, he causeth to present unto the King the consideration of great difficulties that he was likely to find, in his succeeding to the Crown of England, by two parties there, who were given out to be the Strength of the Kingdom; to wit, the professed Papists, and the Prelatical men; therefore, to facilitate the business, they must be in some sort contented. For the satisfaction of the Prelates, the King, by degrees, must endeavor to bring again into Scotland Prelacy, with all its dependences; for no neglecter or contemner of the holy Order could be kindly received to reign in England: and so this part of the advice was followed with all possible care and diligence. To content the Papists, they not only must have given unto them under-hand hopes of connivence, and over seeing their practice; but also there must be a Letter written to the Pope, to assure his Holiness of the Kings affection to the Catholic Cause. Thus both these parties were calmed so far, that the King came to the Crown of England, Anno 1602, without manifest opposition, albeit not without the grumbling and grudging of some. As for the stricter sort of Professors of the Reformed Religion, going under the nick-name of Puritans, no opposition or trouble to the Succession was feared from them, because the Principles upon which they go on, rising from the Word of God, are far other then those of worldlings, which flow from interest, and consequently, they needed not Atonement, or Propitiatory Sacrifice, to befriend the King. But the holy Father not finding real performance by the King of what he looked for, remembers the King in good earnest of his promise not kept, by the Gun-powder Plot, Anno 1605. After which (by God's mercy failing) men would have thought, that the Popish party should leave off all undertakings hereafter. But they follow their business more constantly then so; for no sooner one Plot fails, but incontinent they put another afoot; yea, they have several Plots at one and the same time in hand, whereof it is likely that either one or other will take. Now this great Plot of the Gun-powder being come to nothing, they, as it were, go back for a time, to come forward in due season with another; and leaving for a while the open and devouring ravishing of the Wolf, they have recourse again to the cunning of the Fox.

The next care then, after the calming in some measure the spirits of men, after so horrid a Treason, is to look about, and to study by whom: he affairs of these Dominions were managed: And finding, by serious inspection, That all affairs received great influence from the Court, after mature deliberation, they resolved to make friends there; which they did, by subtle insinuations, fair words, high promises, and some real performances of good Offices; yea, when money was absolutely necessary, it was not spared. Thus, by degrees, having gotten friends at Court, in it they make a party next, for whose subsistence and increase, they employ all that they can. Now having power and credit at Court, more and clearly perceiving it to be the fountain from whence all preferment to Honor and benefit in Church and State did flow, they judged it fit for their purpose to make sure of some prime men both in Church and State, according to their mind▪ which was done as they desired. Thus having gained men chief in State and Church for their use, then they went to the corrupting of the Universities, being the Seminaries of all Liberall Education. This likewise they did effectuate; first, by the Over-seers connivence to looseness of life in young people; next, by the bad example of the Seniors the Iuniors were invited to do mischief. Then the Teachers, by their bad instruction, did corrupt, namely, in Theology, all sound Doctrine. And for this purpose, the earnest study of the Old Testrment in the Original Hebrew was cried down, as beseeming rather men of the Synagogue, then those of the Christian Schools. Likewise the Greek of the New Testament must not be read with diligence, for fear of spoiling the elegancy of the Greek Language, which is to be found in profane Authors. So they withdrew the Students from the study of Scriptures in the Original, and recommended to them the reading of human Writings, particularly in Theology, the Books of the Ancients, which are commonly called Fathers. Likewise was recommended unto young men the study of the Sophistry of the Monks, as of Thomas and Scotus namely, with their Expositors. True it is, That if young men were well instructed in Theology from the Scriptures, and taught the true Principles of Philosophy, in a settled course, by some judicious and diligent Professor, they might read all these Books, and others in their kind, with pleasure and benefit. But alas, young men not knowing the rudiments of Theology, nor the first Elements of Philosophy, are let loose unto themselves, and so by reading these Books, having no sure ground to stick to, learn only to doubt, and put Queries, yea, of the very Principles of all sound knowledge, both Divine and Human. Thus being brought to waver and doubt, they are easily led, what by interest, what by weakness, to embrace a bad Opinion; or at least, to hold all uncertain, as the ancient Skeptics, not being able to resolve: Yea, doubting is come to that height, that, in the opinion of many, he is the bravest fellow, and wittiest, that can raise most Queries, answer them who will or can: And so Wit is hugely cried up, which is but mere froth; and poor solid Wisdom is not so much as named, or thought on.

Then those of the richer sort, having spent some time idly and loosely at the Universities, go beyond Sea, particularly to Italy, forsooth, either upon their own trust, or, which is little better, if not worse, many of those who go along with young men, to advise and direct them, have as much need of one for their guide, as the young men themselves; having neither staidnesse, discretion, nor probity. So that if there were a just account cast up of all those who either have been bred in the Universities, or gone beyond Sea these many years, I will speak within compass, That of twenty you shall hardly find one who is improved in virtue by this Breeding, for the good of the Church and State, whereof they are members, and perhaps considerable too, if they were wise and good. At this present both Church and State finds this to be true, by woeful experience, namely, in the Clergy, Gentry, and Nobility.

Now these evils have not been in England alone, for Scotland, according to its proportion, in compass of Bounds, numbers of people, provision of means, and in its distance from Court, hath its full share of all the evil: For first, the Schools of breeding young people at home were become very corrupt; and many in their travelling abroad, have either miscarried, or little benefited themselves: The fruit we have found, namely, in our corrupt Clergy, yea, and in some of our infatuated Gentry and Nobility: but blessed be God, things are now in a better posture and constitution there, then they have been formerly; God grant we may have occasion to say the like of England. For Religion, sound knowledge, and true wisdom, with probity have been so neglected and contemned there, to the ignominy and reproach of Christianity, that in these times, there we have seen the doleful effects of want of Religion, and of these other virtues. But to return to the Court.

The Popish party, although they had both power and credit at Court, yet they were not assured to go on so smoothly and speedily with the great Design, so long as there were any of eminency there, of whom they could not be certain: So Prince Henry was first wished to be out of the way, next, by untimely death was taken away, to the grief of many honest men. This conceived Remora being laid aside, they resolve to go on more freely in their Design. But although they had gained much upon the affection of the King, yet they can suffer him to express the Notions of Religion and wisdom, both by word and writing: Yea, they will yield him to follow so far his former Principles, as to match his daughter to one of his Profession: so he marries the Lady Elizabeth to the Prince Elector Palatine, although it was not altogether so pleasing to some chief ones at Court then. These things passed, in the year 1613. who, although they would not stop the Marriage to go on, yet they managed the business so, that they hindered the Prince Elector Palatine to receive the advantages which in reason he should have had by virtue of it, as help and aid at his need, &c.

Here we must make a little step beyond Sea, and presently return back. Now then, we must know, That as the Popish party have been very busy in these our Dominions, in carrying on the Work of the great Design of subjecting all to the Pope, directly, or indirectly; so in other places, where Idolatry and Tyranny had been cast off, they have not been sleeping nor idle, namely, in our neighbor Countries; where, when they had made things up for a combustion of War, by their crafty forecasting divisions and corruptions in life and Doctrine of men of place, they kindled the fire; witness the business of Barnevel in the Low Countries, in the year 1619. And not long thereafter, the troubles raised in France against the Professors of the Truth; then in Germany likewise, having all things ready for a War, as they were thinking that the two Houses of Saxe, to wit, the Weymerian, and the now Electoral, was most fit and easy to be embroiled, by reason of the emulation of the Weymerian against the other, for the Electoral Dignity; taken from it, and given to the other: But conveniently for their purpose, the Elector Palatine being made King of Bohemia, the great agent of the Pope, the House of Austria, takes occasion to make War against him, leaving the House of Saxe, &c. Now to come home again.

King James by this time is turned about, and his affection so much cooled and turned from the Protestant party distressed, that for all help or supply to the Protestants of France, he sends complements by Ambassadors, with fair promises. And for his son-in-Law, with other Protestants his adherents in Germany, he did little more; so senseless is he of the sufferings of Jacob, and unmindefull of his own interest, by suffering those in France and Germany to perish, who not only did so much honor him, but they being preserved, made him the most redoubted and considerable Prince in Christendom. To speak nothing of his tie by nature unto his own children. Then, contradicting his own published Dictates, he must seek after a Popish wife for his son; and, to hasten the business, the young Prince must be sent into Spain, where he had two men by whom he was then advised; who, although they did not love one another, yet they did agree among themselves, To betray their old Master, with their Country, and their young Master in their company; whom they theu counseled to embrace Popery, and by writing engage himself unto the Pope. This is upon Record. At last, the Prince cometh home without the wife, which was never really intended for him, howsoever things were given out, notwithstanding all the pains of the young Prince, and the earnest solicitude of the Father, with the compliance of both. If it had not been for the hatred to the Palatine House, and fear of its advancement to the succession of those Dominions, the Prince never had seen this Island again, but in a Map. Howsoever, King James is glad to have his son safe returned: And at length, seeing clearly how he had been misled and gulled, bethinks himself how to amend his former mistakes and errors; but alas, it was too late: for as he was thus consulting with himself, death takes him away, An. 1625. not without suspicion of wrong done unto him. The new King must have a Popish wife (according to the former intention) she cometh from France, and bringeth along with her, her strange gods. The Prelates had a main hand in this Popish Match, by actual furtherance thereof, and by opening the way how the free exercise of Popery might be had, in favor of the Queen and her adherents, without breach of the Law of the Land.

The same year of the death of the late King, and of the Marriage of our now Sovereign, there was an Expedition made against the Spaniard, without any real intention to do harm, as appears by the slack performance of the War, and by the shameful Peace made thereafter. The main drift of this undertaking was, first, To try how ready the people would be to endure Soldiers in the Country, which they had not seen for a long time, and how willing they would be to undergo a War, at the command of the corrupt Court, and uphold it with Supplies of men and moneys. Next, There must be an Expedition against France, under pretext to help the then distressed Protestants there; which really was intended for the hastening of their ruin, and increase of their desolation: and so it proved indeed, although the main and chief undertaker was prevented, by death, to see the effect of his intents. The other end of this undertaking was, To have Forces at command, both Horse and Foot, by Land, and a well-provided Navy at Sea, for the enslaving of the people to spiritual and temporal Bondage; which in all human probability had not been difficile to effectuate then, such was the sheeppish silliness, and knavish baseness of many men in these Dominions, of all ranks, conditions, and professions; as also the unpreparedness of the wiser and better Patriots and Members of the Church, to withstand this mischief, if God in his mercy, by the unexpected death of the Court-ruler, and chief agent in the business, had not put in a Remora and lett: At which time, if men had returned unto God, amending their lives in private, and had expressed their true zeal then to the good of the Church and Country whereof they are members, according to their several ranks and conditions, the design of the common enemy had been fully dashed. But God in his wisdom hath been pleased to keep us yet a while longer under the rod of trial, to see if we will return unto him at last. The Romish party, although astonished and surprised at the death of their Engine and main Instrument here among us, gives not over, but continues the great Design, without intermission, albeit not with such speed as formerly; for those to whose care principally the business was committed, and in whose hands the managing of matters had fallen, by the death of the late Fac totum, were not so powerful to obtain, without refusal, what they pleased, at the Kings hands; neither were they in such opinion and reputation with inferiors, to make them go on in the work so earnestly; wherefore the Queen must be brought now of necessity, to take upon her the main care, and to obtain from the King whatsoever may conduce and further the business, and take away all lets and stops which may hinder the proceedings: Then, to employ all her credit abroad, for countenancing and advancing affairs: And next, by her authority to draw on inferiors to act their part with affection and ardour. Now all things being thus cunningly and carefully, by degrees, in few years, prepared and disposed, for enslaving Church and State, Prince and People, to Rome again, it was thought fit, by the hottest of the party, to wit, the Jesuits, to hasten the work openly, and delay no more time (the compassing of the Design being conceived to be infallible) By this means they thought to shorten the business, and to make themselves so considerable, as to share deeply in the Booty; of which they looked for but little, if things were still lingered, and carried on slowly. But how, and where to begin this new undertaking, was consulted upon; and, after deliberation, the Scots must be begun at, the way is resolved on, there must be a new Prayer-Book put upon these rude fellows, that they may say their Prayers in modo & figura a la Romaine, and not so rudely and irregularly as they were wont to do, in the Northern way. Then they must have high-Commission Courts, Canons, and Etcetera 's: Which things, if the Scots be so wise to accept, as doubtless they will (reasoned these men: but he that reckons without this host, reckons twice) for their chief men of State are either actually at Court, or provided to places in the Country from Court, at least, they can do no business of moment, without the favor of the Court. At this time the devout and religious Prelates, with the rest of their good Clergy, are not only in all earnestness bent for the work, according to their several places in the Church, but also they over-sway all business in State, Wherefore, without difficulty, we will compass our main Design thorough all these Dominions (said they.) And truly so they had, in all likelihood, as we may see by the woeful carriage of business, and so ill managing so good a Cause in England since; But God had, in his mercy towards us all, ordained otherwise. And if the Scots (say they) should be so mad as to refuse the commands from the Court, and think upon resistance, they shall be made obey the holy Mandate with a Vengeance and say their prayers with a rod; for we shall over-run their Country speedily, and subdue them, as poor, silly, ignorant fools, destitute of all means for War, to wit, wisdom, with resolution, not having breeding, and pressed down with poverty, to undertake and undergo such a business as War; and money and Arms to go on in it; for the S • ill being barren, and the Havens bad, they cannot have the advantages of a fertile Country, furnished with good Harbours, and Commanders or Leaders, to manage a War, their Military men being abroad, who will not easily quit the honorable and beneficial Employments they have in foreign Countries, and come home to suffer want, with loss of credit. But God, who laughs from above at the foolish Counsels of vain men, in this particular hath made us see, That he hath an • ver-ruling power over the affairs of men, making little and contemptible ones do great things, and bring to nothing the undertakings of the mighty and wise of this world.

By this time the new Prayer-Book, designed at Rome, and perfected at London, is sent down into Scotland. After some little reluctancy, it is received by the Council there, the major part whereof then were either Church-men, or their addicted friends. Then it is sent to the Churches, to be put in use and practice: But unexpected and unlooked for, it is opposed by inferior people; from whence the opposition riseth to those of higher ranks: whereupon Petitions are drawn up, and sent to the King, to supplicate His Majesty, in all due respect, to free the Church of Scotland from this new Prayer-Book, with the High-Commission Courts, Canons, Etcetera 's. To these Demands of the Scots no answer is given, but hot threatenings; after which, preparatives of War were made against the Scots: and because the King did not show himself propense enough to the undertaking of War, nor the Queen forward enough to engage the King in this holy War, the Queen-Mother, who, for her known faithfulness to her husband, and for her care of her son, both late Kings of France, must come to her Son-in-law (against his will) to help him with her best advice and counsel, and to better instruct her daughter how to carry herself with earnestness and address in the business.

Things being thus disposed, there is an Expedition undertaken against the Scots, and followed to the Borders by the King present in person; but to small purpose; for the Scots came to the Borders duly prepared, notwithstanding their pre-conceived wants and indisposition, to sell their Religion and Liberty at a dear rate: which being perceived by the Court, the Scots Demands, formerly rejected, are granted, and a Peace concluded. Then some of the chief men of the Scots were invited to go to Court, for the time at Barwick; who, upon certain advice of a Plot against them, were stopped by their friends, to trust themselves to the faith of the Court.

After things in a kind calmed there, the King, not suffered by his Counsel to go into Edinburgh to settle things fully, he sends Deputies thither, and returns to London. At his return, the Scots Commissioners are imprisoned at London, against their Safe-Conduct; and the Agreement with the Scots is burnt publicly, by the hand of the Hang-man, and a new Expedition, with more cunning and strength then the former, is undertaken against the Scots: Whereof the Scots duly advertised, judging it not to be safe to play always after-games, settle their Country, make sure the strong Holds, which they had delivered, in simplicity of heart, unto the King, at the late Agreement, and come into England with such an Army, that they made their enemies retire. Upon this point of necessity, the King assembled divers of the Nobles, by whom he is advised to call a Parliament; which is granted, although with difficulty. At the overture of the Parliament, having gained all the party possible, the King is made to demand assistance to repel the Scots from England, and chastise them; but to no purpose, wherefore the Parliament must pay for it; and to this purpose, the English Army afoot must be brought to London, under some pretext. This Plot failing, and discovered, the Scots must be tempted, under great offers, no less then the plunder of London, and the propriety of the adjacent Counties to their Country. The Scots not only refused these great offers, but also give advice of them to the Parliament. Then the Scots must be hastened home, and the King must go into Scotland, under pretext to settle things there, but really, to make a party, viewing by the way the Scots Army; and to make sure of some men dis-affected to the Design of the Court. These things not succeeding, to smooth a little the shameful business, Titles of Honor, and Pensions are given to many.

While the King is in Scotland, the Rebellion riseth in Ireland, having its influence from the Court, whether by sealed Patents, or otherwise, I will not inquire now (more then of the Spanish Navy) but certain it is, it had its rise from Court. Some days after the Rebellion begun in Ireland, the King must return in all speed to London, under pretext to consult with the Parliament how to repress this odious Rebellion; but really, to be revenged of the Parliament, for not assisting against the Scots, and for punishing the main agents of the Scottish party, witness the faction the Queen had made in the City, during the Kings abode in Scotland, to divide the City and Parliament, and the demanding of the Members of the Houses, against all Law, upon accusation of Treason; whereof the chief and main point was, To have favourized the Scots Affairs in England, against express Acts of Oblivion of both Parliaments of Scotland and England. As for the repressing of the Rebellion in Ireland, it is so little taken to heart, that the King seldom goes to the House; and being there, speaks but little of the business. After a while, with much ado, the Popish Irish in Arms are declared Rebells, when they had ruined many families, and killed many of the innocent Protestants: But of the Kings Declaration there were but few Copies Printed, and of the few hardly any dispersed; when the Scots, before they had gathered any Head, were Prelatically excommunicated, and cursed thorough all the Parishes of England, and declared Rebells everywhere by printed Papers: Who, as they intended no ill, so, blessed be God, never men of War in a Country did less harm then the Scots did. Yea, which is more, all the good intentions of both Parliament and City, with the ready offers of the Scots for the speedy help of the poor Protestants against the bloody Butchers in Ireland, was delayed, deluded, yea, almost put off, by the Court, and the corrupt Members of both Houses, who since have shown themselves openly what they are, in public Affairs. But these Designes failing of apprehending the Members, and of dividing the City and Parliament, as was seen by the accompanying the Members to the Houses again, the King must leave London.

Here before we proceed any further, we shall go a little back.

When the first undertaking was against the Scots, all things within these Dominions being disposed for the best furthering of the work, the holy Conclave of Rome forecasting all chances: and fearing that England would not altogether be so forward to contribute much unto the destruction of Scotland, wherefore the King must be assured of some good friend abroad, and not far off, who may help in case of need: None is thought so fit as the Prince of Orange, being able to help with Moneys, Arms and Men for command: He must be gained, by offering him for his Son one of the Kings Daughters; who, notwithstanding his high mind, would have been glad of a lower Match. Now at the first, the Prince of Orange did only look to have the second Daughter in due time: But, to engage him further, he shall have the elder (not staying for her till she be nubile) and that presently, although she did little more then, then well discern her right hand from her left. But this is not all; for the Mother must carry the Daughter to the Prince of Orange, to gain him more speedily, and make him more affectionate and sure to the Designes of our corrupted Court: So the Kings Daughter is sold, and made a Sacrifice for furtherance of the Catholic Cause, as his Grand-mother was sold to France to the same Design, by the corrupt Court of Scotland for the time. What mischief this Marriage, and the Queens Voyage into Holland hath brought into this Country, and what stain she hath brought upon herself by it, we see all. And so many evils fell upon Scotland, after the sending the then young Queen into France.

Here you shall observe the juggling knavery of our corrupt Court, who cry out against the Scots for taking Arms for the just defense of their Liberty and Religion, without any by-respect, as their whole proceedings to this instant do testify, as guilty of the most horrid crime of Rebellion against Higher Powers, as they call it; yet the same corrupt Court makes the King give his Daughter unto him, who is not only a chief man, but a main Instrument to make War for the Liberty and Religion of the Country where he liveth, against the unjust oppression of their Sovereign; as his renowned Brother, and most virtuous Father did before him; and as he intends to make his Son after him, witness the reversion of his Place he hath obtained, unto him, from the States. If the King of Spain by necessity hath been constrained to acknowledge the United Provinces free, it is nothing for the justice of their taking Arms to defend their Religion and Liberty: And if he had power, they would not be long free, witness the secret Plots to divide them, and over-reach them. Farther, he is very shy in his Writs, to call them Free, as every man knows.

The Queen of Bohemia must not only be neglected, and seen lose all that she and hers can claim for their own, but she and hers must be serviceable to those who have undone them: To this end she must have People about her, namely, Court-Chaplains, to disguise business unto her, and so make her have a bad conception of those who are her best friends, to wit, the true Professors of the Truth, and good Patriots in these Dominions. Next, her eldest son, after a long and great neglect of yielding him any help for the recovery of his own, is betrayed at our corrupt Court, when he is put in away to do somewhat for his own restoring, &c. And after this, by the same Court, he is solicited to take Arms here against the only men, who really and constantly have expressed unto him and his, true affection; but they being stopped by the Court, could not effectuate much by their good will. He in wisdom refuseth to fight against his friends. Since he will not, his two next Brothers must be employed; the eldest whereof is released from prison to that effect: And so they hazard their lives, and spend their blood, to serve the party who hath undone their Fortunes, and now strives to undo their persons.

The King having left London, after he had been in several places, retires to York, where he begins to raise men against the Parliament. The Scots seeing this, send to him thither, to entreat him to lay aside all such intentions, and offer their service by way of Mediation betwixt him and the Parliament, to take away all known mistakes. The Scots Commissioners were not suffered to proceed any further then, in the business, and were sent back, beyond the expectation of men. After a long Pen-skirmishing on both sides, Armies are leavied, many men killed and taken at divers times on each side; yea, a set Battle fought, where numbers of men are slain.

The Scots not being able any longer to see their Brethren in England destroyed, and the Executioners of Ireland butchering man, woman and child (the help that the innocents should have had from England being almost altogether diverted, by the Intestine War) and neither say nor do in the business, under safe-Conduct send to the King and Parliament Commissioners, to intercede for an Agreement: But they being arrived at Court, were neglected with their Commission, and not suffered to repair unto the Parliament: At last, they are dismissed, not without difficulty, and, having done nothing, return. Upon this, the Scots convene the States, to consult concerning their own safety, and the help of their friends: At this nick of time, when they received many fair promises from the Court, with a request to be quiet, a Plot of the Papists, set afoot by the Court, for embroyling the Country, is discovered; by the means whereof, they were incited to look more narrowly to themselves and their friends. Then the Parliament of England sends to the Scots for help. Upon this, a Covenant is made betwixt the two Nations, for the defense of the true Religion, and Liberty of the Countries, with the Kings just Rights: and, after due preparation, the Scots having settled their own Country, enter into England with a strong Army, to fight the Battells of the Lord; having for scope of their Expedition, The glory of God, and the good of his People, with the Honor of the King.

Here we shall observe, in these our Countries, in these last years, such Riddles of State and Church, as have hardly been heard of: A Protestant Prince makes one Protestant Nation fight against another, for the Protestant Religion, which have been thought to be of one and the same Doctrine, for the main: One Church thunders Curses against another: Then, a Prince misled, with the aid of Papists and Atheists, spoiling and destroying the professors of the Truth, because they profess it, for the good and advancement of the Protestant Religion: Next, in a very short time, a Prince to have all his subjects declared Rebells: First, he is made declare the Scots; Then, he is constrained to declare the Irish: An Army gotten together in the Kings name, declares all those that did oppose them, Rebells: The Parliament declares all those who in the Kings name oppose them, Rebells and Traitors: Farther, under the Kings Authority, the named Rebells in England by the King, maintain a War against the declared Rebells in Ireland. But the late carriage of things at Court, and by the Court-Instruments at home and abroad, hath solved the Riddle, namely, The Patent for the Rebellion in Ireland, The detaining of help ordained for the repressing of it, The Kings offer to go into Ireland, The Cessation, and bringing over of the Irish, and, The last-discovered Plot in Scotland, all other things laid aside, tell us clearly, howsoever the Proclamations and Protestations going in the Kings name be soft and smooth as the voice of Jacob, yet the hands are rough as of Esau, destroying, and seeking to destroy the true Religion, grounded in God's Word, with the professors thereof, as also the lawful Liberty of the Country, and bring all unto slavery. Let Ireland and England say, if this be not true; and Scotland likewise, according to its genius, speak truth.

I shall close up all with two or three Instances of eminent men amongst the Papists Clergy, to show clearly how they stand affected to the Protestants.

Cardinal Pool, in an Oration to Charles the fifth, Emperor, saith, You must leave off the War against the Turks, and hereafter make War against the Heretics ; so names he the professors of the Truth: He adds the reason, Because the Turks are less to be feared then the Heretics. Paul Rodmek in a Book express, tells us, That the Heretics must be put to death, slain, cut off, burnt, quartered, &c. Stapleton the Jesuit tells us, That the Heretics are worse then the Turks, in an Oration he made at Douay. Campian the Jesuit, in a Book of his, Printed in the year 1583, in Trevers, declares thus, in the name of his holy Order, Our will is, That it come to the knowledge of everyone, so far as it concerns our Society, That we all, dispersed in great numbers thorough the world, have made a League, and holy solemn Oath, That as long as there are any of us alive, that all our care and industry, all our deliberations and counsels, shall never cease to trouble your calm and safety. That is to say, We shall procure and pursue forever your ruin, the whole destruction of your Religion, and of your Kingdom. He speaks to the English. Now it is long since we have taken this resolution, with the hazard of our lives: so that the business being already well begun and advanced, it is impossible that the English can do anything to stop our Design, or surmount it.

Let these few Passages satisfy for this time. I wish that thou mayest reap some benefit of what is written here for thy good.

The LIFE OF JOHN KNOX.

I OHN KNOX was borne in Gifford, near Hadington, in Lothian, the year of Christ, 1505. of honest Parentage: His father was a brothers son of the House of Ranferlie, which is an ancient Family of Gentlemen in the West. When he left the Grammar School in the Country, he was sent to the University of Saint Andrew's, to study under M. John Mair, who in those days was very famous for his Learning, which particularly did consist in the ergotie or disputative part of Philosophy, and in School-Divinity, wherein formerly, for many years together, almost all Learning was placed. In a very short time, John Knox became such a Proficient, that in this kind of knowledge wherein his Master most excelled, he surpassed him; and being yet very young, was thought worthy of Degrees in the School: Moreover, before the time ordinarily allowed by the Canons, he entered in Church Orders. Thereafter, laying aside the idle Disputes and Sophistry of the School, he betook himself to the reading of the Ancients; namely, of Augustine, with whose Writings he was much taken, by reason of their plainness and solidity. Last of all, he betook himself to the earnest study of the holy Scriptures; wherein having found the Truth of God concerning the salvation of Mankind fully revealed, he in good earnest did embrace it, and freely professed it; yea, made it his main work to make it known to all men, and believed by them; in which work he was very active and vigilant, at home and abroad, namely, at home. For the Cause of the Truth he suffered very much by Sea and by Land, in mind and in body; among foreigners, and amongst his own Countrymen, as ye may see in this History of the Church, which now here we present unto you: Which History, namely, so much of it, I mean, as formerly was published, hath gone commonly under his name, because he is the man of whom most is spoken throughout the whole History, as being a most earnest and diligent agent in the business of Reformation in the Church: Next, because he hath penned with his own hand, or spoken by word of mouth, the most part of the most remarkable and most useful things for Posterity in the History. Thirdly, the whole History is gathered out of his Papers and Manuscripts: And so ye see why it is generally received to be of John Knox. But to return to his Life.

He being constrained for a time to leave his Country, by reason of the Persecution raised in Scotland, by the then Bishops, against the professors of the Truth, he came into England, where for some years he was busied, in preaching the Evangel of Christ, with a great deal of content and benefit to those that had the happiness to hear him. His chief abode was in Berwick, Newcastle, and London: This was in the days of King Edward the sixth, with whom he was in great favor and esteem; By whom being offered a Bishopric, he not only refused and rejected it, but with a grave and severe speech declared, That the proud Title of Lordship, and that great State, was not to be suffered to be in the Church of God, as having quid commune cum Antichristo ; that is, somewhat common with Antichrist. King Edward being dead, the persecution of Mary made him leave England, with many other godly Ministers, who went beyond Seas. First, John Knox went to Frankford, where for a time he preached the Gospel to the English Congregation there; From whence he wrote the Admonition to England: But being molested there, partly by open Papists, and partly by false Brethren, was constrained to retire: And from thence he went to Geneva, from whence he wrote his Letter to Mary Regent of Scotland, his Appeal to the Nobility of Scotland, and Admonition to the Commons of Scotland. From Geneva, after some years abode there, he was called home to his own Country, the year of Christ 1559. which was the 54 of his age, by the Noble-men, and others who had taken upon them the general Reformation of the Church of Scotland ; where, how soon that the reformed Church had any liberty, he was settled Minister at Edinburgh, where he continued exercising his Ministry to his dying day; but not without interruption, by reason of the Civil disorders that fell out in those days.

During this his being at Edinburgh, he Preached many excellent Sermons; whereof there be but few that were printed and conserved to Posterity, he not being willing to busy himself with the Press: Yet some of them we have, as this, namely, which he Preached Aug. 19, An. 1564. and for which he was forbidden to Preach for a time: He, to make known to the world what ground there was to deal so with him, took the care to have this Sermon printed, as you will find it at the end of this History.

Here I cannot let slip a remarkable passage; which was this; Anno 1566. the Earl of Murray was slain upon the Saturday: The morrow after, John Knox preached in Edinburgh ; where, as he was reading the Papers wherein was written the names of those that desired the Prayers of the Church, he finds a paper with these words, Take up the man whom ye accounted another god: which he passed, without expressing any commotion, and went on with his Prayer and Sermon. At the end of the Sermon, he made moan for the loss that the Church and State of Scotland had, by the death of that virtuous man; and said, That as God in his mercy giveth good and wise Rulers, so taketh he them away from a people in his wrath. Then he added, There is one in this company that maketh the subject of his mirth this horrible murder, whereat all good men have occasion to be sorry: I tell him, That he shall die where there shall be none to lament him. He who had written the aforesaid words in the paper, was Thomas Metellan, a young Gentlemen of most rare parts, but youthful, and bearing small affection to the Earl of Murray; who, when he heard this Commination of John Knox, went home to his lodging, and said to his sister, That John Knox was raving to speak of he knew not whom. His sister replied, with tears in her eyes, If you had followed my advice, ye had not written these words; and withal told him, That none of John Knox his threatenings fell to the ground without effect. And so it fell out in this particular; For shortly thereafter the young Gentleman went beyond Seas to travel, and died in Italy, having no known man to assist him, much less to lament him. Towards the latter days of his age, his body became very infirm, and his voice so weak, that the people could not hear him, Preaching in the ordiplace, wherefor he made choice of another more commodious within the Town, reading to his auditors the history of the Passion, in which, he said, it was his desire to finish and close his Ministry. Thus he continued Preaching, though with much weakness, two months and more, after this retiring: And foreseeing that he was not to remain long with them, he was instant with the Counsel of the City to provide themselves of a worthy man to succeed in his Place. Master James Lauson, who at that time professed Philosophy in the University of Aberdeen, being commended for a good Preacher, Commissioners were directed from the Body of the Church of Edinburgh, and from Master John Knox in particular, to desire him to accept of the Charge. To the Letter that the Commissioners carried, after that he had set his hand, he added this Postscript, Accelera mi frater, alioqui sero venies: Make haste, Brother, otherwise ye shall come too late: Meaning, That if he made any stay, he should find him dead and gone. These last words moved M. Lauson to take journey the morrow thereafter. When he was come to the Town, and had preached two several times, to the good liking of the people, order was taken by the Rulers of the Church for his admission, and the day appointed; at which day John Knox himself would not only be present, but also preach, though he could scarce walk on foot to the Chair; which he did with such fervency of spirit, that at no time before was he heard to speak with such great power, and more content to the hearers: And in the end of the Sermon, calling God to witness, That he had walked in a good conscience amongst them, not seeking to please men, nor serving either his own, or other men's affections, but in all sincerity and truth preached the Gospel of Christ: With most grave and pithy words, he exhorted them to stand fast in the Faith they had received: And having conceived a zealous Prayer for the continuance of God's blessing among them, and the multiplying of his Spirit upon the Preacher who was then to be admitted, he gave them his last fare-well. The people did convey him to his lodging, and could not be drawn from it, so loath were they to depart from him; and he the same day in the afternoon, was forced to take bed. During the time he lay (which was not long) he was much visited by all sorts of persons, to whom he spake most comfortably: Amongst others, to the Earl of Morton, who came to see him, he was heard say, My Lord, God hath given you many blessings; he hath given you Wisdom, Honor, high Birth, Riches, many good and great friends, and is now to prefer you to the Government of the Realm (the Earl of Marr, late Regent, being newly dead) In his Name I charge you, That ye will use these blessings better in times to come, then you have done in times past: In all your actions seek first the glory of God, The furtherance of his Gospel, The maintenance of his Church and Ministry; and next, Be careful of the King, to procure his good, and the welfare of the Realm. If you shall do this, God will be with you, and honor you: If otherwise ye do it not, he will deprive you of all these benefits, and your end shall be shame and ignominy. These speeches, the Earl, about nine years after, at the time of his Execution, called to mind, saying, That he had found them to be true, and him, therein, a Prophet.

A day or two before his death, he sent for Master David Lindsay, Master James Lauson, and the Elders and Deacons of the Church, to whom he said, The time is approaching, for which I have long thirsted, wherein I shall be relieved of all cares, and be with my Savior Christ forever: And now, God is my witness, whom I have served with my spirit, in the Gospel of his Son, That I have taught nothing but the true and solid Doctrine of the Gospel; and that the end I proposed in all my Doctrine, was, To instruct the ignorant, To confirm the weak, To comfort the consciences of those that were humbled under the sense of their sins, and born down with the threatenings of God's Judgments: Such as were proud and rebellious, I am not ignorant that many have blamed, and yet do blame my too great rigor and severity; But God knoweth, That in my heart I never hated the persons of those against whom I thundered God's Judgments; I did only hate their sins, and labored, according to my power, to gain them to Christ: That I did forbear none, of whatsoever condition; I did it, out of the fear of my God, who hath placed me in the Function of his Ministry, and I know will bring me to an account. Now, brethren, for yourselves; I have no more to say, but to warn you, That you take heed to the Flock over which God hath placed you Overseers, which he hath redeemed by the Blood of his only begotten Son. And you, Master Lauson, fight a good fight, do the Work of the Lord with courage, and with a willing mind: And God from above bless you, and the Church whereof you have charge: Against it (so long as it continueth in the Doctrine of the Truth) the gates of hell shall not prevail.

This spoken, and the Elders and the Deacons dimitted, he called the two Preachers unto him, and said, There is one thing that grieveth me exceedingly; You have sometimes seen the courage and constancy of the Laird of Grange in the cause of God; and that most unhappy man hath cast himself away: I will pray you two to take the pains to go unto him, and say, from me, That unless he forsake that wicked course wherein he is entered, neither shall the Rock in which he confideth defend him, nor the carnal wisdom of that man whom he counteth half a god (this was young Lethington) yield him help; but shamefully he shall be pulled out of that nest, and his carcass hung before the Sun (meaning the Castle he did keep against the Kings Authority: And so it fell out the year next following; for the Castle was taken, and he was publicly hanged, and his body hung before the Sun) The soul of that man is dear unto me; and, if it be possible, I could fain have him to be saved. They went, as he had desired, and conferred a long space with Grange; but with no persuasion could he be diverted from his course: Which being reported, he took most heavily. Yet Grange, at his death, did express serious repentance for his sins.

The next day, he gave order for making his Coffin wherein his body should be laid; and was that day, as thorough all the time of his sickness, much in prayer, crying, Come, Lord Jesu; Sweet Jesu, into thy hands I commend my Spirit. Being asked by those that attended him, if his pains were great, he answered, That he did not esteem that a pain, which would be to him the end of all troubles, and beginning of eternal Joyes. Oftentimes, after some deep meditations, he burst forth in these words; O serve the Lord in fear, and death shall not be troublesome unto you: Blessed is the death of those that have part in the death of Jesus. In the evening, which was the last of this wretched life, having slept some hours together, but with great unquietness, for he was heard to send forth many sighs and groans; one Campbell, and one John Johnston, which two waited very diligently upon him, asked, after he awaked, How he did find himself, and what it was that made him to mourn so heavily in his sleep? To whom he answered, In my life time I have oft been assaulted with Satan, and many times he hath cast in my teeth my sins, to bring me to despair; yet God gave me strength to overcome all his temptations: And now that subtle Serpent, who never ceases to tempt, hath taken another course, and seeks to persuade me, That all my labors in the Ministry, and the fidelity that I have shewn in that Service, hath merited heaven and immortality: But blessed be God, that brought to my mind these Scriptures, What hast thou that thou hast not received? And, Not I, but the grace of God in me: With which, he is gone away ashamed, and shall no more return: And now I am sure my Battle is at an end; and that without pain of body, or trouble of spirit, I shall shortly change this mortal and miserable life, with that happy and immortal which shall never have an end. After which discourse, a Prayer was said near his bed where he lay: which being ended, it was asked, If he heard the Prayer? He answered, Would to God that ye had heard it with such an ear and heart as I have done; Adding, Lord Jesu receive my Spirit. With which words, without any motion of hands or feet, as one falling a sleep, rather then dying, he ended his life. He was a man endued with many excellent gifts, and with a very great measure of the Spirit: God raised him up to be a chief Instrument of the glorious Work of Reformation. The Court claw-backs and parasites, have been, and are displeased with his Doctrine touching the Authority of Princes and Civil Magistrates, although there was never man born, who did more heartily reverence Civil Authority, nor obey more willingly the lawful commands thereof, then he: All his Doctrine concerning the Civil Authority, was, To correct the corruption brought in by the slavish flatterers, who, abusing the simplicity and debonaritie of those whom God has placed in Authority, maketh them inconsiderately to rebel willfully and openly against God and his Son, and turn all things up-side down, and undo the poor people of God, for whose good and safety they are placed so high. Likewise were and are to this day the proud Prelates and idle belly-gods highly offended with his Doctrine concerning Church-Government, although he intended no other thing, but the pulling down of Antichristianism fully, and casting all tyranny and Idleness out of the House of God. Never was a man more observant of the true and just Authority of the Church-Rulers, according to the Word of God, and practice of the purest Primitive times. He always urged pressingly due Obedience by the people, to the faithful Pastors and Elders of the Church. Although he was both learned and eloquent, yet did he not much apply his mind to compose Books for Posterity; for he was wont to say, That God had called him rather to instruct the ignorant, comfort the sorrowful, rebuke the sinners, and confirm the weak living in his time, then to make Books for ages to come. Nevertheless, he wrote several good Pieces; for besides what we have spoken of already, namely, he left these, A learned Treatise against the blasphemous Anabaptists, Two Treatises against the Mass, One, of the Eucharist, Some Sermons upon Genesis, Some also upon the Psalms, An Exhortation to all afflicted Churches, An Advice in time of trouble, The first blast of the Trumpet, &c.

He died, Anno Dom. 1572, and of his age, 62. His body was interred at S. Giles, without the Church. To his Burial assisted many men of all Ranks; among others, the Earl of Morton, who being near to the grave, as the Corps was put in, said, by way of Epitaph, Here lies the body of him, who, in his life time, never feared the face of man.

THE PREFACE.

T He SCOTS, by the most judicious Writers, and by those who have most diligently studied their Antiquities, are acknowledged to be among the first who embraced the Faith of Christ: yea, they are said to be, by some, of the very first-fruits of the Gentiles: For in few years after the Ascension of our Savior Jesus Christ, the Apostles and Disciples being constrained to leave Jerusalem and Judea, by reason of the Persecutions raised against them by the Jews, according to the dispensation of the All-wise God, went up and down the world; and speaking to every People in their own Language, declared unto them the glad Tydings of Salvation in Christ Jesus. Those who came into our Northern Parts, to wit, into Scotland, and first made known unto our Fathers the Mysteries of Heaven, were of the disciples of John the Apostle.

Some years thereafter, to wit, in the second Persecution raised against the Christians, many Britons Provincials of the Empire, professing the Name of Christ, left their own country, and went into Scotland, for shelter from the general Massacre then executed throughout the whole Empire, by that bloody Butcher Domitian ; and to enjoy the freedom of the Gospel, which they knew to be received then in Scotland. Among these fugitive Britons there were sundry learned and pious men, who stayed in Scotland (the Persecution ended) propagating the Faith of Christ there by their Preaching. This we have related unto us by the Historians of best trust. We have not then from the Sea of Rome our first Institution in the Christian Faith; yea, we are so far from it, that, for many years together, we hardly had any communication with Rome at all. Palladius was the first, some years after the beginning of the fifth Age, who made our acquaintance with Rome ; although the general current of the Romish Writers give out, That the Gospel was first planted amongst us in Scotland by the means of Victor Bishop of Rome: Yet Baronius, that renowned Chronologer, albeit he would fain have the Scots owe this Obligation unto Rome, disclaimeth this opinion of his Party, as untrue, and disagreeing with the best Antiquity.

Tertullian, who lived in the second Age, and wrote Books divers years before the end thereof, and so was so near the planting of the Christian Faith amongst the Nations, that in a manner he may be said to have been an eye-witness unto it, in his Book against the Jews, speaking how the Light of the Gospel was spread thorough the whole world, saith thus, The Evangel was diffused into all the parts of the world, yea, into Britanie, and into that part of the Island whereunto the Roman Forces did never pierce. By these last words of Tertullian, are meant the inhabitants of that part of the Island which lieth benorth the walls, first built by Adrian, then by Antoninus Pius, thirdly by Severus ; and these were the Scots by name: For the Romans put walls betwixt them and the Scots Bowe-men, as our Poet expresseth it:

And Claudian, many hundred years before this our Poet, speaking of the Legion which then was called from its Garrison on the aforesaid walls, saith thus, The Legion came, which was placed before the utmost Britons, and which bridled the fierce Scot.

Lucius Florus, many years before Claudian, who wrote towards the later end of the fourth Age, to wit, in the beginning of the second Age; and Spartianus, who allegeth Florus, writ towards the later end of the third Age. Lucius Florus the Poet (is the same with the Historian, who writ the short History of the Romans, as judgeth Salmasius ) is brought in by Aelius Spartianus, in the History of the Life of Adrian the Emperor, saying these words, I would not be Caesar, to walk among the Britons, and suffer the Scots morning hoar Frosts. The word pruina, which the Author useth, doth signify so much; for it is quasi 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 a 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , morning. What Florus, in these words here alleged, calleth in his Language Scoticas pruinas: Claudian calleth Caledonias pruinas, speaking of another Roman, in these words, And he placed his Camp in the middle of the Caledonian morning • oar Frosts. I know that commonly in Spartian, of whom we have these Verses of Florus, it is read, Scythicas, for Scoticas, but wrong, notwithstanding that the great Critics have not corrected it: For how, I pray you, can Adrian be said to suffer Scythicas pruinas, who never was in the Country which then went under the name of Scythia? yea, the Romans had never any War with the Scythes ; for albeit the Scythes heard of the Romans Arms, yet they never felt them: Besides, what sense had it been in Florus to say unto Adrian, That he would not be Caesar, to walk in Britany, and endure the morning hoary Frosts of Scythia? For although the Romans heard say, That Scythia was a cold Country; yet they more perfectly knew Scotland to be cold, having been upon the place. Now it was very easy to those who copied Books of old, and hardly understood what they writ, to change one letter for another, namely, when two letters are so like one to another, as these two Vowels O, O; for O not being Initiall or Capitall, was written formerly without the draught under it, which hath been written for distinction sake, as we see it commonly now, thus 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , This change of these two Vowels, hath been found elsewhere then in this place of Florus, by the Critics, in the same words; who seeing the name of the Sea upon the Coast of Scotland written Scythicum, presently mended it, and made it Scoticum. Then Erasmus smelled out the same fault in Jerome his Epistle to Ctesiphon, against Palladius, and his disciple Caelestius, in these words, Britannie and the Scots Nations had not then known Moses and the Prophets. Erasmus finding Scythicae, he changed it into Scoticae.

Lucius Seneca, about an hundred years before Florus, that is, about forty years after Christ, now 1600 years since, in his Satire upon the death of Claudius, makes mention of the Scots in the composed word Scoto-Brigantes, as thus followeth; He ( i. e. Claudius) commanded the Britons beyond the known Seas, and the blue Scoto-Brigantes, to submit their necks to the Roman Chains. This word above named hath puzzled many of the Critics how to read it, so that a right meaning or sense might be had of these lines, with the true measure of the Verse, some reading it one way, some another way; till at last, the learned Joseph Scaliger corrected it as you have it here, giving to the words a plain and easy sense, and keeping the law of the Verses, against which all others did fail: And to this Correction of Scaliger hath submitted many learned men: yet some, partly for envy against the Nation of whom is here spoken, partly for vanity, will stand out against the truth, because of the authority of this Correction, at whose great and most rare Learning they are offended, as the former are at any advantage that the Nation whom these words doth concern may have. The Scots are called Cerulaei, or blue, because they used much blue in their Garments; and so doth the old Scots to this day, witness their Plaids, whereof the best sort ordinarily hath the ground blue; as also their blue Caps.

Mamertin, in his Panegyric to Maximinian, tells us, That the Britons had War with the Scots and Picts, before Julius Caesar entered into the Island. So, by these Testimonies, ye see how injurious they are unto the Scots, that will not have their name known, till many years, yea, some hundred years after the entry of the Romans into the Island.

The Romans having settled themselves in the Island, they divided the whole into two parts: Their part, or the South part, they called Britannia major and superior; and their Provincialls went most commonly under the name of Britones, although sometimes under the name of Britanni, but not so oft: and they were sub-divided into several Peoples. The other part of the Island without the Roman Province, that is, the northern part, was called Britannia minor, and inferior: Now all the inhabitants of this northern part, who were in continual Bickerings and War with the Romans and their Provincialls, were called Scoti, sometime Transmarins, sometime Foreigners ; and they did consist of two chief Peoples, to wit, Brigantes, and Picti ; which both were sub-divided into several lesser Peoples, of which we forbear to speak at this time. So the name of Scoti was at first appellative, and given to more then to one People; but in success of time, appropriated to one. And this is not singular in this name, for the proper names of divers Peoples at first hath been appellative, and thereafter appropriate to one alone: I will instance only in one, for brevity sake, which is this; The name Franck or French, at first was common to all those that stood out together for Franchise and Liberty against the Romans about the Rhyne, and other parts of Germany ; But at length it became peculiar unto one people, as we see it is at this day. Moreover, that the name of Scoti was appellative, and given to more then one people, you may clearly see by the ordinary expression of ancient Writers in the plural number, thus, Scotorum gentes, Scoticae gentes ; when otherwise all men ordinarily, both by word and writing, have ever used, and to this day use the singular number, speaking of one people; as gens, not gentes; populus, not populi ; nation, not nations.

As all the northern people of the main Land, or Continent, both in Europe and Asia, went anciently under the name of Scythae, witness Strabo, in these words, The ancients commonly called the northern people Scythes. And in another place he saith, The ancients did call by one name of Scythes all the known places towards the North. He means, in the Continent, or main Land. So the northern people of Britannie, which is another little world, were of old, and to this day are called Scoti. The two names Scytha and Scotus do signify one and the same thing, to wit, an Archer, or Bow-man ; in Latin, Arcuarius ; in Greek, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 . The ancient Writers tell us, That the Scythes were much given to Archery, and to Hunting; so were anciently, and to this day are the old Scots Bow-men; In Hebrew, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Keshut, from 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Keshet, Bow. And so you have the signification of Scytha and Scotus ; which are truly one and the same, with little change, more in Latin then in Greek; for the one is written 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , so at first the other was written 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , which afterward they turned into 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 . This is the true origin of the name Scotus : It comes neither then from the fabulous Scota, neither from the foolishly-invented 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , darkness; For if the days be as long in summer, as the nights are in winter, Why should the Country be called Scotia, from 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , rather then Photia, from 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , light? Also the Britain Writers use one and and the same word, when they speak of Scyth and Scot, to wit, y Scot ; as likewise the Low German calleth them both Schutten: From the Hebrew 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Keshet, we have the vulgar schut and schot. Now this Etymology of Scot, as it is true, so it is easy, by the transposition of a letter; to wit, by putting 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 behind 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 ; which is ordinary, not only in the derivation of words from one Language into another, but also obvious in one and the same Language, in common discourse. Let this one Example satisfy for all, to be short, Is not one and the same word both written and pronounced, according to the writing thirty and thrity, in our vulgar Tongue? As the names of Scyth and Scot do signify one thing; so the people, in many things, may be said to be like one another; as for Example; The Scythes, in the Continent, generally were of two kinds; to wit, European, and Asiatic: So the Scots in Britanie were of two sorts in general; to wit, the Brigantes, and Picti. Next, the Scyths did not till the ground, but feeding cattle and sheep, had a Custom to remove from one place or solitude to another: Of old, so did all the Scots; and to this day, the ancient or prisei Scots do. The Scythes did live much upon milk, and so do our old Scots. The Scythes, not knowing the use of riches, did not desire them: and so it is with many of our old Scots. The Scythes were never vanquished by Foreigners: so the Scots were never utterly overthrown, although they have suffered very much by their enemies at several times. The Scythes were hard for toiling and War; so are our Scots, as is known to all, &c.

We have said, That the In-dwellers of the north part of the Island were named Scoti ; and that by a general Division they were of two kinds, Brigantes, and Picti: Now we must inquire who are Brigantes, and who Picti ; where they both lived, and from whence they came. And, to begin at Picti, They inhabited the East side of Britannia minor, which is the best: and, for the most part, they were of the ancient native Britons ; of whom, sundry of old, before the entry of the Romans into the Island, had drawn themselves Northward, to have more elbow-room for their course of life, which was, To feed Cattle, and to hunt, removing from one place to another, whereunto largeness of Bounds is required. Then others of the old Britons flying from the Tyranny of the Romans, upon grievance, went from time to time Northward, beyond the Limits of the Empire, to their ancient come-Patriots.

Next came in to these North Britons, at divers times, several Colonies of Northern people from beyond Sea. Hence it is, that some late Authors have written, That the inhabitants of the East side of Britannia minor came from Scandie. The North Britons having received these men come from beyond Sea, into their Society, and being joined with them, made up a People, called the Romans and South Britons Picti, because they continued the Custom of painting their bodies, of old in use among many Nations: which custom the South Britons left off, with other Rites, now become Provincialls of the Empire. The whole Island was first called Albion ; of which we shall speak anon, God willing.

Then 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , Britannia, which signifieth a woody Country; for of old it was 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , Sylvis obsita, covered with Woods, as Strabo terms it. And to this day, we see that part of the country opposite to the Continent, full of Woods and Inclosures. We find in ancient Authors, the Peninsule of Italy, next Sicily, whereof Rhegium was the Metropolis, called 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 and 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 for the same reason, because it was 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 . So Strabo names it also. The Origin of the word is 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 barat, which signifieth several kinds of trees, Fir, Ash, Cedar, &c.

The Picti had divers people under them, whereof the chief were Caledonii ; by whose name, sometimes all the Picts were named, although Caledonii properly were those of the Picts who dwelt among the lesser hills; of which hills, some are called Ocelli montes, in vulgar language Ochell hills. The country of the Caledonii did begin at Forth, and went Northward beyond Tay, where their chief City was Caledon, now Dunkell, by a transposition. In this country were the Woods called saltus Caledonius, or sylva Caledonia. The rocky and hillie part of Aetolia in Greece, was called by the same name: and there was there a Town of this name, yea, and a Forest, so much spoken of by the old Poets. True it is, That the second vowell is now and then changed, which makes no difference; for in words the consonants are mainly regarded. Strabo, Lib. 10. calleth the one and the other country 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , hillie and stony or rocky: the name cometh from 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Galeaetan, which is as much as 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , tumulus asper, a rough little hill.

Benorth the Limits of the Empire in this Island, all people, beside the Picts, were called Brigantes, which importeth as much as In-dwellers of Mountains, or high hills: So you have the Brigantes near the Lake of Constance, in-dwelling Mountains. On the Alps in Daulphine you have Brigantium Brianson, the highest Town in Europe. The Brigantes of Spain, as those of Ireland, of old did inhabit Mountains; and so did our Brigantes in this Island mainly keep upon the Mountains. The name cometh from Briga, Brica, or Bria, as it is diversely written: It signifieth an high place, or Mountain: Our vulgar hath interpreted it Bray ; hence we haply call our Brigantes Bray-men, whom we call otherwise High-landers, or High-land-men. Strabo tells us, That bria, amongst the Thracians, doth signify a Town, or City. And so the word Bria must needs come from the Hebrew 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 bira, Town or Palace, by the transposition of a letter; which is ordinary in the derivation of words, as we have said a little before. Here, for further proof of the transposition of a letter in a derivative word, take this example only, Dumbarton, for Dumbriton.

Cansabon, in his Notes upon Strabo, tells us, from Hesychius, That bria signifieth a Village or Town upon a hill: So bria signifieth not simply a Town or Village, but such a one as is built upon a hill. And truly, in the most ancient times, Towns or Villages were, for the most part, built upon high places; as any man that hath taken the pains to remark, either by Histories, or by considering the places he may have seen, knoweth. So then Brigantes are men inhabiting the hills, or having their Towns, Cities, Villages upon the hills. Yea, in old times, when they had not yet fixed their abode certain, they were wont to remove from hill to hill, as we have said formerly; and to this day some of our Highlanders do, within their own extent and limits.

The Brigantes in the Continent namely, were so given anciently to take away goods from their enemies with a strong hand, that by success of time, all those that openly did rob and plunder, were called Brigantes: And the French has from hence derived the verb, Brigander, to rob or plunder. Next, there is a kind of Armor called Brigantine, the use and manner whereof is borrowed from the Brigantes ; it is like a Male-Coat. Lastly, there is a kind of Ship used at the Sea, called Brigantine, of the middle size, as being most proper for War at Sea. Thus much for the name of Brigantes.

The Brigantes of this Island came hither from Ireland, at divers times, and upon divers occasions. The Brigantes in Ireland, by Ptolemy, are placed well Southward: But those that are come after Ptolemy, I mean those of nearer Antiquity, have placed them more Northerly by many miles; as ye may see easily by looking upon Ptolemy his Maps; and Ortelius his Maps of Geography of the Ancients. So ye see that the Brigantes, at their first coming to Ireland from Spain ; for thence they came, with many other inhabitants of that Island, dwelt in the South parts, but by degrees drew Northward, for conveniency to their wandering course of life, in keeping cattle, and hunting, and for freedom from the trouble of too near neighbors: They went, by success of time, so far North, till at length, having come to the part next unto Britannie, they came hither, and possessed themselves of the little Islands and hills next unto Ireland ; and finding themselves firted in this new-found Land for their purpose, according to their mind, they made their abode there, and drew daily more and more company unto them, till at length they made up a great Body of people in Britannie, and by little and little came all along the West side of Britannie, keeping the hills, till they came to the River Belisana, that is, Rhibet, in Lancashire, and from thence went straight Eastward, till they came to the mouth of Abus, now Humber.

The North Britons were glad to give them way, contenting themselves with the East side of Britannia minor (which indeed was, and is the best) and were glad also to have them for a Rampart against their enemies in the South, or in majore Britannia. The Brigantes were great enemies to the Romans, with whom they had divers Bickerings; but at last they were compelled to go Northward, and were hem'd in by the wall built by the Romans, betwixt the fluve Tina, now Tyne on the East side, and Itrina, now Eden in Cumberland, on the West side. Although they left the Country besouth this wall, yet the Romans continued there the names of Brigantes ; yea, some of the Brigantes, allured by the bounty of the Soyl, did choose rather to submit to the Roman yoke, then change their abode, although it was with thralldom. Then, after many various encounters with the Romans, they were yet constrained to yield more ground unto the Romans, who hedged in both them and the Picts northward with a Wall, betwixt Bodotria, or Forth, and Glotta, or Clyde. At last, the Romans, by cunning, raised jealousies betwixt the Brigantes and Picts, and so not only withdraws the Picts from the friendship of the Brigantes, but makes them join with them, to overthrow the Brigantes ; and taking occasion of the Brigantes domestic troubles, fights with them; yea, at length, after a bloody well-fought Battle, defeats them, gives the best of the Lands they possessed to the Picts, for their reward. After this the Brigantes were constrained, for the most part, (I mean of the better sort) to retire thence, whereof some went to the next Isles; some returned to Ireland, to their ancient Patrie ; and some went to the North Countries beyond Seas, and so they were for a time distressed, and in exile, till after divers attempts, they were restored again under the conduct of Fergus the second. Here let us remember, That the whole Island Britannie was first named Albion, from Albe, or Alpe, which signifieth hill, or high place. This word Albe, or Alpe, cometh from Albus, white; and this from the Hebrew 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Laban, per metathesin, Alban, Albus; & 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 in Greek; because the high hills and mountains, yea, in the hot Countries, are frequently covered with Snow, and so appear white; witness the high hills betwixt France and Italy, which, by reason of their highness above other mountains, are named particularly Alps. The Island, when it had given unto it the name of Britannia, by little and little left off the old name of Albon, which continued in the North part of the Island, benorth the limits of the Empire; and so the whole Country beneath the Humber was called; and Albion in this second sense, in following times was called Britannia minor, as we have heard; but as the Romans did gain ground upon the in-dwellers of Albion, or Britannia minor, beating them Northward, they lessened Albion, or Britannia minor, so far, till they brought them to keep North Bodotria, or Forth, and Glotta, or Clyde.

Last of all, the Romans having by their cunning divided the Brigantes and Picts ; and having drawn the Picts on their side against the Brigantes, Albion was taken for that part of Britannia minor, beyond Clyde and Forth, which did not belong to the Picts ; that is, the Northwest side of that hillie Continent, with the hillie Islands adjacent, where to this day dwelleth our Highlandmen, or Highlanders, who are the remnant of the ancient Brigantes. That the ancient name of a whole great Country, as this Island is, should be conserved in one corner, or a little portion thereof, may not seem strange, I have thought fit to tell you, That you have the like in our neighbor Country, of old called Gaule, now France ; where the ancient name of Gaule, among the vulgar, is only conserved in a little Country lying about Sens, of old, Senones : this little Country is called Pays Gaulois, and is divided in Haute, & basse Gaule. So it was judiciously said by the Historiographer, The name of the Isle Albion is derived from Albe, and remains in Scotland, as it were in its Native Soyl.

Of Alpe, or Albe, signifying hill, or high place, you have the in-dwellers thereof sometimes named Albani, as in Asia, Dalmatia, Italy, and North Britannia ; and their Country Albania, sometimes Albici, Albigois in Languedock, and their Country Albium, or Albi, in vulgar language, sometimes Albini, or Alpini, and Albienses, as the in-dwellers of our Albion, who to this day call themselves as they have done of old, &c. which name is one and the same with Brigantes. Here let us remark, That as the Provincialls or In-dwellers of Britannia superior, subject to the Romans, are ordinarily called by the Writers Britones ; so the others, benorth the Empire, have been called by the Writers Britanni, peregrini, & transmarini, strangers, and beyond-Sea-men, as if they had been of another Island. And truly, if it were not for the Strait betwixt the Rivers afore-named, which did serve for Border unto them, they were in another Island. Hence England is said to be inter quatuor maria.

Ptolomeis, Tacitus, and Seneca tell us, That the Brigantes inhabited Albion, which when they writ, was that part of the Island beyond the Roman Empire. Therefore the Brigantes were then Albini, or Albani.

Moreover, the Brigantes about Eboracum, now York, were of the Scots, who came from Ireland, a great and mighty People.

John Fordon, in his Scoti Chronicon, writes, That the Scots came so far South as Humber, and possessed Lands there. Also the Isle of Man was for a long time under the Crown of Scotland ; which Isle is as far South, as the Country about York, although it be Westward, and in the Sea. And these were the Brigantes we now have spoken of. The Brigantes, at their first coming into Albion, came, as we have said, without any certain or settled way of Government: but being grown to a considerable number or Body, they sent into Ireland for Fergus the first, to be their King; whose (with a new Colony) coming into Albion, is reckoned to be about Alexander the Great his time; that is, about three hundred years before the Birth of Christ.

The Brigantes, alias, Albini, for a certain time, by some have been called Dalreudini (although this name did not last long) from the King Reuda, who brought into Albion the second remarkable Colony from Ireland, after Fergus, about 180 years before Christ; that is, about 220 years after Fergus, And Dale, which signifieth Country and Province, as is known to this day: There is a certain place in the West of Scotland, called to this very day Ridsdale.

We have heard, That the people benorth the Roman Province, upon the East side, were originally Britain's, whence they were called Britanni Picti ; and sometimes Britanni Caledonii, from one of the chief people; sometimes simply Picti, or Caledonii. Also we have heard, That the people benorth the Province, on the West side, were come from Ireland, and called Brigantes, or Album ; yea, for a time Dalreudini. Likewise we have heard, That all the people benorth the Empire, by a general Appellation, were called Scoti, where they were all spoken of together: but when they were spoken of apart, those of the East were called Scoto-britanni: Those of the West were called Scoto-brigantes, as we have heard out of Seneca.

Moreover, by progress of time, the Irish came to go under the name of Scots, with those of Britannia minor, or Albion, who from them had help, supply, and recruites, in their War against the Romans and Britons Provincialls. Thus naming the Irish by the name of Scots, began some hundred years after Christ; that is, towards the middle Ages. And about that time Ireland was called by the name of Scotia, as Abrahamus Ortelius hath remarked, in these words; I have observed Ireland to be named Scotia, by the Writers of the middle Age. And so it hath been observed by the learned, That ancient Authors did never name Ireland Scotia ; as you may see by those who have exactly reckoned up the old names of Ireland, out of the ancient and Classic Authors. So it was not said much amiss by one, That this naming of Ireland by the name of Scotland, was first about Beda his time, who lived in the beginning of the eighth Age. Scaliger tells us, That the word Scot is no Irish word, but British ; that is not used in Ireland, but in Britannia: what is the origin and signification of the word, we have heard before.

As the Irish began to be called Scots, so the Picts left off to be so named; now withdrawing themselves from the Brigantes, or Albini, and striking in with their enemies the Irish, by the Writers were called Scoti Hibernienses, and the Albins were called Scoti Albienses: And Ireland was called Scotia major, because Albania or Albion in those days, which they called Scotia minor, was of less extent. But this name of Scots was not for any long time given to the Irish; So that at length the name of Scots became peculiar to the Albins or Brigantes alone.

Lastly, the Albins having subdued the Picts, and made them no more a People, communicated into the Country, newly conquered by them, the name of Scotia, as one Country with Albinia ; and so all the in-dwellers there, were called Scots, with the Albins, as one people with them, and so they are to this day.

Now the Albins or Brigantes being the only Masters of Britannia minor, came to be called Scoto-Britanni ; as the Picts had been of old, and are upon occasion called so to this day, to distinguish them from the South Britons, of whom, some are called Cambro-britanni, the rest, Anglo-britanni.

Although the ancient Brigantes were called by foreigners Scoti, namely, by the Britons Provincialls, and the Romans, yet they did never name themselves so, by this name Scoti ; neither do the High-landers to this day, in their own language call themselves Scots, but Albins. So Scaliger had just reason to say, That Scoti was not an Irish name. As the Hellenes did never name themselves Greeks, although they were so commonly called by the foreigners: And the Misraims did not call themselves Egyptians, although foreigners named them so.

The Scots nowadays are divided in Highland-men, and Lowland-men: The Highlanders are the true Progenie of the ancient Brigantes, or Albins, for the most part, I say, because some are come in later times from other Countries. And to this day our Highlanders, as the Brigantes of old, makes main use of their Bows and Arrows, in their war, namely, when they are among the hills; so when they praise one for a Military man, they say, He is a good Bowe-man, and Bray-man; which two Epithites were expressed by the ancients in one composed word, Scoto-Brigantes.

The Lowland-men are made up of divers Nations; for a few of them are a little remnant of the ancient Picts ; other few are descended from the ancient Albins: who leaving the hills, after the defeat of the Picts, did betake themselves to the Low Country. Divers from the South parts of Britannie, had fled thither from the Tyranny of the Saxons, Danes, and Normans, as they did of old from the Tyranny of the Romans. Then the English, being so oft in Scotland with their Armies, have left divers in the Country. Also Marriages, and other private occasions, have drawn sundry men from England into Scotland. Lastly, sundry of the Low-Country people are come from beyond Seas, as from France, Germany, Hungary, Flanders, Ireland, &c. of late days: So all being reckoned, they are but few in the Low Country come of the old Albins, Brigantes, or old Picts.

The Low-Country men calls the High-landers Irish, not so much for their ancient descent, as for their language, only differing from the Irish by dialect; and for their ways of living not much unlike: yet one main difference is to be seen in the activity of the Scots, and the laziness of the Irish. On the other side, the Highlanders calls the Low-Country men Saxons, not so much for their descent (although many of them are come from the Southern people, as we have said, who are a Progenie of the Saxons ) as for the language, which differeth only by dialect from the language of the South, which acknowledgeth the Saxon language for its mother Tongue, and for the way of living not so different, save that the Scots are harder bred, and consequently, more fitted for toiling at War namely, then the English are; for we see the English to have pain to toil, and endure Wars, at the first going to the Field, by reason of their tender and soft breeding. The language of the South- Britons of old, was not much different from that of the Gauls, from whence they came into Albion ; witness Tacitus, in Agricola his Life: The Gauls then did speak a corrupt Greek, for they are come of the Greeks. Besides, many words of the old Gaulois, the phrase and construction, are to this day in the French language kept; which doth signify, that of old the Greek was spoken in Gaule, although corrupt grossly by ignorant men without learning, who neither could read nor write. Yet in the South parts of Gaule, near the Mediterranean Sea, wherein the Greek Islands are, the Greek was spoken and taught, at Marseilles namely. The ancient language of the Britons suffered a great change by the Romans, and other foreigners, who brought in amongst them their terms of Law, of divine Service, of War, and of Policy, with the names of divers Commodities, and the names of divers Trades.

When the Saxons and Danes came into the Land, they confined the remnant of the ancient Britons unto the West Country, with their language, such as it was left unto them by the Romans, and other foreigners of old, and with themselves planted the language which is spoken in all England nowadays, with some alteration and change. The first notable change happened by the Normans, in whose language the Law hath been administered, &c. The next change is from the Latin, in which language divine Service hath been for many years Officiated. Then the English language hath borrowed from all neighbor Nations many words, without any great change; so that the English language is said to be the quintessence of all neighbor Languages: From it the Scottish Tongue differs but in dialect, as we have said. The Highlanders Language, as hath been said likewise, is Irish, which of old was a corrupt Greek also; for the Irish came into Ireland from the North parts of Spain, who spake a corrupt Greek, as those of Gaule did; for the ancient in-dwellers of the North parts of Spain came also from the Greek Islands. So that of old, the Language of the ancient Britons was not altogether strange unto the Brigantes, or Alpins ; yea, in this time wherein we live, notwithstanding the great changes that both the Languages have sustained by time, and Commerce of foreign Nations, they have many words which are one and the same, signifying the same thing.

Thus much I have written of the beginning, names, way of living, and Languages of Scotland, to make known to all, how unjust and injurious unto us are some modern Antiquaries of our neighbor Countries; who first think they cannot prove their own people to be sufficiently ancient, except they take from their neighbor their just right of good Antiquity. Next, they conceive they cannot set forth fully enough the greatness of their own Country, except they make their neighbors no people at all, or at least, hardly considerable. Thirdly, they imagine, That they cannot extol and magnify the glory of their Country highly enough, unless they not only depress and extenuate their neighbors name, but also attribute unto themselves the advantages of their neighbors. But if these Antiquaries had considered with the eyes of men, That there is enough to be said for the credit of their own Country, without wronging others, they had not so stuffed their Books with mistaken and mis-applied Allegations of good ancient Authors, nor with Collection of fabulous and lying Monks tales, wherein some of them do fancy Learning mainly to consist. But of this enough.

For this place, I will only add this: As the Scots, although they be not of the greatest people, yet they are truly one of the most ancient People in Europe ; So I dare be bold to say, That God (to whose praise be it spoken) in his goodness towards them hath raised up of them, and amongst them, so many excellent and virtuous men, in Church and State, in Piety and Learning, in Policy and War, at home and abroad, of old and of late, that few Nations, ancient or moderne, although of greater bounds, can compare with them; fewer equal them, and hardly any at all go beyond them in this; for which we praise God, who of the best things hath given us the best measure; and say with the Historian, That the Land is more fertile of good men, then of good fruits.

But now, since all former walls of separation and division, both ancient and moderne, Civil and Ecclesiastical, are in a great measure taken away by God's blessing: and since in so many respects the Scots and English are so near one unto another, as we have said: But above all, since they both are members of the true Church and pure Spouse of Christ Jesus, to the upholding of whose Truth, and purging of it from uncleanness they have newly bound themselves together as one People, yea, as one man, Let them then, in God's Name, laying aside all excuses, envies, jealousies, and by-ends, as feeling members of one and the same Body, concur unanimously, with their mutual and best endeavors, to settle the true Worship of God in all true purity, and quiet all things speedily with wisdom, to the good of the people, with due obedience to our lawful Sovereign under God, as we are taught by the Law of God, the Law of Nature, the Law of Nations, and the Municipall Laws of our several Countries. But to return to the Church.

The Scots, although they received amongst them the light of the Gospel with the very first of the Gentiles, as we have said, yet had they not the Evangel so universally professed thorough the whole Country, till towards the first years of the third Age; that is, till Donald the first; who not only professed the Faith of Christ himself, with his Family, but did his best to cast out Idolatry wholly from his Dominions, and to settle the Ministry of the Gospel in every corner thereof: But this religious King could not bring to pass this his good Design fully, being diverted by continual Wars against the Romans the whole course of his life.

After the death of Donald, till toward the later end of the third age; that is, to the Reign of Crathilinth, this work of totally putting down Idolatry, and settling the Gospel everywhere in the Country, by the negligence of the following Princes, was at a stay. In this King Crathilinth his days fell out the ninth persecution under Aurelius, and the tenth under Dioclesian, which gave occasion to many Christians from divers parts of the Empire, but namely from the South parts of Britanie, now another time to fly into Scotland for refuge, as they had done before under Domitian. Among those fugitives who did then repair into Scotland for shelter from the general massacre, were many excellent men in Piety and Learning, whom the King Crathilinth not only kindly received, but also employed to aid and help him and his Council in the further settling of Christ's Truth in his Kingdom, and in the total extirpation of Idolatry out of it; which was so much the harder work, because of the Druids, the principal false Prophets, and Idolatrous Priests in those days; who not only by their subtle hypocrisy, and sense-pleasing Divine Service, but also by a cunning forecast, having drawn into their hands the hearing and determining of Civil affairs, had so gained upon the spirits of the poor and simple people, that they could not imagine how to be without them, and live. The resolute care and diligence of King Crathilinth and his Council, with the help of those pious and learned men, surpasseth all difficulties; and having put quite down the Groves and Altars under the Oaks, and, in a word, all Idol Service, established the pure Worship of the true God in every place of his Dominions, and filled up the rooms of those false Prophets, with godly and learned Teachers of the people; which was done everywhere thorough the Kingdom, but particularly in the Islands, which those pious men chose for their principal abode, as being most fit for a retired life; and namely, in the Isle of Man the King Crathilinth caused to build a Church to the honor of our Savior, which in following times, by corruptions, was called Fanum Sodorense, for Soterense, the word original is, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 . Hence the Town near the Church was called Sodora, as Minster in our vulgar language, and Moustier in French, signifying a Town, in a secondary signification, near a Church. Those godly men being settled as aforesaid, and having withdrawn themselves from the solicitude of worldly affairs, did wholly give themselves to divine Service, that is, To instruct the ignorant, comfort the weak, administer the Sacraments to the people, and to train up Novices and Disciples, to do the same service in their due time. These men, for their single and retired life, were called 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , or Monks, by abbreviation; and for their travelling altogether in God's Worship and Service, were called Colidei, or Culdees.

These Culdees were so given to the exercise of devotion, by the meditating the Mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven, and by Prayers, that the very Cells whereinto they had enclosed and separated themselves from the world, after their death were reputed so many Temples or Chapels set aside for Divine Service; hence to this day Cella is taken for a Church among the ancient Scots, as you may see in these composed names, Kelmarnoc, Marnoc his Church, Celpatric, Patrick his Church.

The Culdees thus settled, as we have seen, did chose out of themselves some eminent men, in piety, knowledge, and wisdom, to oversee the rest, and to keep them to the discharge of their duty towards the People, and towards the Disciples, with an orderly and discreet carriage of each one towards another, in their several societies, and in their private. These Overseers or Superintendents chosen of themselves, and by themselves, did discharge the Duties of their Function, indifferently everywhere, throughout the whole Kingdom, without restraining themselves to any certain place, or Lording over their Brethren, or any part of the Flock of Jesus Christ, not attributing unto themselves any particular distinct holy order from the rest, belonging only to them, and to be only conferred by them. This way of instructing the People, and governing the Church by Culdees, did continue for many years, under God's mercy; the Ministry of God's Church, as yet, not being become a business of gain, and of worldly pomp and pride; So these Culdees and Overseers of others, had no other emulation, but of well-doing, nor striving, but to advance true Piety and godly Learning. The Overseers of Superintendents of the Culdees, were commonly called by the Writers who writ of those days, Scotorum Episcopy, without any definition of place, or preeminence of one above another. But to return to Crathilinth, who till his dying day, which was about the 312. year, did constantly continue to advance the Kingdom of Christ, as likewise his successor Fincormac ; under whose days the Gospel did flourish in Purity and in Peace; he died about the year 358. After the death of Fincormac, both the Church and State of Scotland fell in great disorder and troubles, by domestic dissensions and factions for some years. The Roman Lieutenant Maximus, seeing the intestine troubles of Scotland, began to lay hold upon the occasion. First, he foments their divisions within them▪ next, not only he withdraws under fair promises from the Scots their ancient Allies, the Picts, but also obtains help of the Picts to make War against the Scots, and so to defeat them, which he did effectuate indeed in a battle fought with much bloodshed on both sides, at the Water of Dun, in Carrick, wherein the King Ewen was killed (this defeat fell out about 380. in the year of Christ) the most part of the Nobility, and numbers of People of those that escaped, some fled into the West Isles, some into Ireland, and others to the Northern parts of Germany or Scandia ; some submitted themselves to the will and discretion of the Conqueror, with the poor people that had not taken arms. Among those that fled away, was Ethod the Kings Brother, who went with sundry of the Nobility unto Scandia, where he and they stayed divers years, and from whence now and then they made secret attempts upon Scotland, with the help of their Brethren, retired into the Islands and Ireland, but to small effect.

Now as the face of the politique State of the Country was quite altered and undone, so the condition of the Church also was much disordered, and the Culdees were constrained to withdraw, and seek shelter up and down, where they could find any; namely, they returned into the Isles, and into Ireland : At last the Picts perceiving by several attempts made by the exiled Scots, to return home, and re-establish their State (although with little success, as we have said) that the Scots were fully resolved to bestir themselves continually, till they were restored, and reestablished in their ancient Inheritances; the Picts themselves being moved with the groaning miseries of their neighbor poor people of Scotland, now under the Roman yoke, chiefly by their means; and taking to their consideration, how foolishly they had suffered themselves be so far circumvented and deluded by the Romans, as to contribute to the ruin of their old friends; by whom, mainly in former times, they had withstood the common enemy, did not only comfort the poor oppressed remainers of the Scots at home, but also did invite these that were in exile to return, promising unto them the Lands which they had of theirs, and to help them with all their strength and counsel, in the recovery of their whole State from the Roman Tyrants. The exiled Scots under the conduct of Fergus the second, son to Ethod, beyond Sea, gathered all they could, both of their own people, and of their friends, from the places of their exile, namely, from Scandie, and from Ireland likewise, and came into Scotland, from whence they chased away the Romans, by strong hand, with the help of the Picts, who made good their promise unto them, both in assisting them in the action of War, and in restoring unto them the Land that they had been possessed with by the Romans. The Auxiliaries from Ireland stayed still in Scotland, and had allowed unto them the Country of Galloway for their reward; and because they were of the ancient Brigants of Ireland, some of the late Writers have said, That the Brigantes of Albion had their abode in Galloway. No sooner is Fergus Crowned in the fatal Chair, and settled in his Kingdom, but he takes to his first care to restore the purity of Divine Service, which had been eclipsed in these bounds for several years; and to this effect, he calls some of the dispersed Culdees of his Country, whom he settles in their ancient abodes; namely, in the Isle of Jonah, where he furnished them with a Library of Books which he had gathered beyond Sea, as the Story tells us.

This return of Fergus into Scotland, son of Ethod, Brother to late Ewen, fell out about the year 420. The regaining by the Scots of their native Country, under the command of Fergus the second, will not seem strange unto them who have read what they did under the commands of William Wallace, and how under the conduct of Robert Bruce, they recovered their liberty from the thralldom wherewith they were then oppressed.

Ewen, son to Fergus the second, by the counsel and aid of his Grand-father by his Mother Grame ; did not only keep his Fathers ancient Kingdom, but also did enlarge the Limits thereof, having passed the next Wall of the Romans, which by Grame was pulled down in many places, hence it is called Grames Dyke; and he possessed himself, and the Picts with all the Lands lying an hundred miles Southward, that is, unto Tyne, and kept them till the entry of the Saxons into the Island. Next, he took unto his care not only to seek out the Culdees fugitives, which had not yet returned, under his Father, but also he sent for others into the neighbor Country of Britain, and assigned unto them convenient places for their abode, with a moderate competency of means for their maintenance, that they should be in no ways burdensome to the people, now looking to have some respite from their pressures and grievances. And such was the happiness of these days, that a very small proportion did content the Church-men, setting wholly their minds to the conscionable discharge of their calling, which they did, Preaching God's Word carefully, truly, and simply, instructing the people in the fear of God, and so gaining their souls to their Maker and Redeemer. By this their carriage, they gained very much respect among the people, who honored them, as Fathers, Instructers, and Guiders to Heaven, under God; the virtuous civil Magistrate was the secondary cause of this good behavior of Church-men, who by his authority kept them in order, and by his own example taught them to discharge their duty faithfully, and live discretly; But so soon as the civil Magistrate left them to themselves, then they neglecting their calling, set their mind upon ambition and avarice, and consequently upon all evil, thinking of nothing less, then of that they were called to.

Here we are to observe, That as the Scots did constantly withstand the ancient Romans, and kept themselves so free of their yoke, that they neither acknowledged their Authority, nor received any Law from them, although it was not without great struggling and hazard, yea, almost to their utter ruin, as it fell out under Ewen the first; but after some few years, the Scots under the conduct of Fergus the second, and Ewen the second, not only regained what they had lost by the Romans and Picts, but also conquered a great deal of ground beyond their last Limits, as we have newly said. So the Scots in Church affairs, for many years together, had nothing to do with the Bishop of Rome, neither made they acknowledgement unto him in any way, neither did they receive any Laws from him; for as they had the Gospel planted among them, without his help, to wit, by the Disciples of Saint John the Apostle, so they kept themselves unto the Constitutions and Canons, settled by the same first Planters of the Gospel amongst them; but by success of time, they became to be infected by their neighbor Nations, with the poison of the Pelagian Heresy. Celestine then Bishop of Rome, take • occasion to send unto the Britons, a learned man called Palladius, to help the Orthodox Britons to convince the Heresy of Pelagius, then spreading itself amongst them, which was done accordingly.

Ewen the second, King of Scots, hearing how the Britons, by the help of Palladius, had repressed the Pelagianism, being most desirous to purge the Church of his Kingdom also, where this Pelagian error had crept in; sends for Palladius ; who with small difficulty assisted the Orthodox, to disabuse those who had been carried away by Pelagianism, and thereafter in a very short time, by subtle in • inuations, gained so far upon the well-meaning Scots, that they consented to take new Governors of their Church, who were to have a Degree and Pre-eminence above their brethren, to wit, the Prelat-Bishops. Hitherto the Church of Scotland had been governed by Monks and Priests, without any such dignity or pomp. I call their new Governors, Prelat-Bishops, to distinguish them from their former Overseers and Superintendents of the Culdees, who are sometime by Writers called Bishops, as they were indeed; but they had no Pre-eminence or rank of Dignity above the rest; neither were they of any distinct Order from the rest of their Brethren. That at this time by Palladius was brought into Scotland these new kind of Bishops, it appears by the relations of the Authors following, thus.

Palladius is thought to be the first who made Bishops (that is, of this new order) in Scotland ; for till then the Churches were without Bishops, governed by Monks; with less vanity truly and outward pomp, but with greater simplicity and holiness.

Before him, saith Hector Boece, Palladius was the first of all that did bear the holy Magistrature among the Scots, being made Bishop by the great Pontif or Bishop; for till then, by the suffrage of the people, the Bishops were made of the Monks and Culdees.

John Mair speaks thus, Before Palladius, by Priests and Monks, without Bishops, the Scots were instructed in the faith.

John Lesley saith this, Among us (Scots) the Bishops were only designed by the suffrage of Monks.

John of Fordon, in his Scots Chronicle, saith, Before the in-coming of Palladius, the Scots had for Teachers of the Faith, and Ministers of the Sacraments, Presbyters only, or Monks, following the Rites or Customs of the Primitive Church. Mark the later words; for according to this saying goes the judgment of the best Divines, who write the truth without any respect. Whose mind John Semeca declareth thus, In the first Primitive Church the Office of Bishops and Priests was common to the one and the other; and both the names were common, and the Office common, to one and the other: But in the second Primitive Church, the names and the Offices began to be distinguished.

Baleus of the Briton writers, Before Palladius the Scots had their Bishops and Ministers, according to the Ministry of the sacred Word, chosen by the suffrage of the people, after the custom of those of Asia: But those things did not please the Romans, who hated the Asiaticks.

Baronius in his Annalls saith this, The Scots gat their first Bishop from Celestine Pontif Roman.

Prosper in his Chronic. The Pontif Celestine sendeth unto the Scots Palladius to be their Bishop.

Item, Unto the Scots then believing in Christ Palladius is ordained by Pope Celestine, and sent thither the first Bishop.

Beda, in the History of England, Palladius was sent first Bishop unto the Scots, by Celestine, Pontif of the Roman Church.

By these Authorities we see, That the Scots, before Palladius, had no Bishops at all; or at least, their Bishops were not of any distinct Order from other Priests and Culdees, by whom they were ordained, and of whom they were chosen, as we have touched before: and so they were not as those Bishops have been with us, in these later times.

Next, let us observe, That the Scots Bishops, since Palladius, must acknowledge themselves clients of the Roman Antichrist, seeing of him they have their beginning and dependence: although in words, yea, in some part of Doctrine, they seem to disclaim him, yet in many parts they show themselves to be of his Family, namely, in Government; for they, with him, Lord over the Inheritance of Christ, and, forsooth, take unto themselves the name of Lord's Spiritual, as if they were Lord's of the Spirits of men, contrary to God's Word, wherein we are taught, That the Father and Maker of Spirits, is the only Lord over them: or at least, Lord's of Spiritual things, against the express words of the Apostles, who acknowledge themselves to be only Ministers of the Spirit, and spiritual things, reputing it the greatest honor in the world to be so. And Peter, who after he had styled himself no more then co-Presbyter with the rest of the Presbyters, he forbids them to Lord over the sort of Christ. Then, since in the first Primitive Church the Functions of Bishop, and Pastor, and Presbyter were undistinguished, and any one of the names indifferently denoted the Office, it must be confessed, That the change of Government which hath entered into the Church is not immediately from Christ and his Apostles, neither by Precept nor Example, but contrary to Christ's Will and Intention, declared in his Word; and according to the inventions of men, serving to the exorbitant affections of avarice, ambition, and lust; to the satisfaction of which, they have domineered over the Flock of Christ, like tyrants, devoured the substance thereof, like ravening Wolves: yea, what is worse, they have not only been negligent and careless to distribute unto the people the Word of God, but also with their might and power have hindered and stopped others to make known unto God's people the pure light of his Gospel, the ordinary means of salvation; and consequently, so far as in them lieth, by thus starving the people of this heavenly Food, send them to hell. Such were these Spiritual Lord's; who, as they have encroached upon the Spiritual Lordship of Christ Jesus over his Flock, and usurped his Authority; yea, and opposed it flatly, under the name of Spiritual Authority and Jurisdiction; so have they boldly and cunningly invaded the Prerogative of civil Magistrates, by their Courts and Regalities within the Dominions of Princes where they live: Yea, in sundry places they usurp the full Authority of Princes, and in others they flatly oppose it. And all this hath been done, not only of old, by those who were called Romish Bishops, but also in our days by Bishops; who in some things make a show that they disclaim their Father the Pontif Roman, whom in their heart they love and respect, as their actions do witness.

Although by Palladius Prelacy was brought in the Church of Scotland, and by that means the Government was changed; and thereafter immediately by degrees other alterations crept into the Church, yet those times after Palladius, till the sixth Age, I mean, till Augustine the Monk, may be said to be golden times, and pure, in regard of the following days, wherein Church-men, without any restraint, abandoned themselves to ambition, avarice, and lust, neglecting altogether their Function; for in these fourth and fifth Ages they were many godly and learned men, who were diligent in discharging the true Duty of a Pastor, as Colombe, Libthac, Ethernan, &c. Then Knitogerne, who by nickname was called Mongo ; because his Master Servian speaking unto him, used ordinarily this expression, Mon ga, which in corrupt French is as much to say, as My boy.

Palladius having brought into the Church of Scotland Hierarchy, as we have said, takes to his next care to provide for the maintenance of this new Degree and Order; which was obtained without great difficulty, both of Prince and people, under pretext of Piety; but with bad success, as by the woeful experience of following times we have found.

These new Bishop-Prelates, having pretty well settled their own condition for maintenance, which although it did exceed much the allowance of former Ages to Churchmen, yet it was very moderate in regard of the following times: Next, they obtained great Lands and Revenues from Prince and People, for other Presbyters and Ministers, who formerly had been very little burdensome to the people; for by their own industry and work of their hands, did provide for themselves, necessaries for the most part; by this means, the Prelates tie the other Presbyters and Ministers to them, and secondarily bring in, by little and little, idleness, and slackness in discharging their calling, from whence are risen all the evils we have seen since in the Church.

After the beginning of the fifth Age, to wit, 521. years, in this Island began (the old Saturnalia of Rome, which was first kept in honor of Saturn ; but by the Successors of Julius Caesar, it was ordained to be kept, to the memory of him, and was called Julia ) to be celebrated unto the honor of Christ's Birth, in the later end of December. The occasion was this, Arthur that renowned Prince wintering at York (whereof, he newly had made himself Master) with his Nobles, bethought himself with them, to pass some days in the dead of winter in good cheer and mirth, which was done forth with, as it is given out for devotion to Christ, although, that then true Devotion was very little regarded; for as these men did exceed the Romans during this Feast in Ryot and Licentiousness; So they continued the Feast double the time that the Ethnic Romans were wont to kept it; for the Romans kept it only five days, but these kept it ten days with their new devotion; yea, those of the richer sort in time following have kept it fifteen days. Thus was the beginning of the profane idleness and riot of Christmas, now kept twelve days with foolish excess and riot. As these Christmas keepers did mistake the way of honoring Christ's Birth, by this kind of solemnity; so did they mistake the time of his Birth; for the most exact Chronologers tells us, that Christ was born in October, and not in December.

The Scots retain still the old name Julia, of this preposterous-holy-Feast, for they call it corruptly Iul : Although they never kept it of old, not being subject to the Romans.

The French and Italians, in this, are nothing behind with us; for beside, That they share with us in these Saturnalia, Julia, or Christmas; They go beyond us in riot and fooleries in their Bacchanalia, which they call Carnaval or Mardigras before Lent; which in old time was kept to the honor of Bacchus.

But the corruptions that were brought in our Church from Rome in the fourth and fifth Age, were nothing to what was brought in in the sixth and seventh Age, for then was Religion turned upside down, and so changed into Superstitious Ceremonies, and Idolatry, authorized by false miracles, that there was hardly left any trace of true Religion among men in these days. Palladius was the first that acquainted us with Rome, as we have said, and that brought in Prelacy amongst us, a little after the beginning of the fourth Age, which he and his Successors by degrees brought unto a great height, both in worldly pomp and means (for the times) by the inconsiderate, debonnarty of the Prince, and simplicity of the people, but not without struggling and resistance, by pious and wise men, for many years; it was the work of Church-men, set a foot by Palladius so till the sixth Age, that is, upon the matter, two hundred years, to raise themselves to Power, and Authority, and Means, whereunto they came insensibly, so much the rather, because they were sparing for these days, to invert the main Doctrine of the true Religion. The People and Magistrate seeing their Religion remaining in its main, were, without great difficulty, drawn over to give way unto the greatness of the Church-men; But when these gallant fellows had wrought their own ends, they did show plainly what was within their hearts; for then they declared themselves to be enemies both to God and to Man, by their vicious lives, contrary to the Laws of God and man; Their false Doctrine, contrary to God's Word; their Tyrannicall domineering over the people; and withdrawing themselves from due obedience, unto the lawful Magistrate. In a word, by directly opposing God, abusing men to their utter ruin of soul and body, and setting up their own inventions for the Laws of God, and men, they were a bringing this height of iniquity to pass, about the matter of two hundred years likewise, to wit, the sixth and seventh Age, although the workers of iniquity did at last bring their mischievous design to an end, by the permission of God, irritated against men for their sins, who not adhearing unto him, were abandoned so, that they became a prey unto Satan and his instruments, to follow all iniquity; yet, such was the mercy of God towards men in these most corrupt times, that the devil and his instruments went not so clearly on with their wicked business, but they had now and then, from time to time, remoraes and lets in it, by those whom God raised up to bear witness to his Truth; and in these days, sundry of the Scots Divines were very stout in the keeping of the ancient Tenets and Rites (which they had received from their first Apostles, Disciples to Saint John, according to the Church of the East; Witness the great struggling they had about the keeping of Pasche, or Easter -day; for till then, the Scots had kept the day of Pasche, upon the fourteen day of the Moon, whatsoever day of the week it fell out on; the Romanists called those that kept so this day, quartadecimani, and condemned them as Heretics, and they kept the day constantly upon the next Sunday following, and not upon a working day; at last the Scots were constrained to yield in this, as in other Rites, unto Rome. Culman, and divers others Scottish men, did so stoutely oppose the Romanists in the point of Easter -day, and in other Tenets, that they chose, it being given to their choice, either to submit unto Rome, or to quit the setlings they had in the North of England, rather to lose their Benefices, then to yield. So standing fast to the Customs of the Scots Church, wherein they had been born and bred, they returned home to Scotland.

About the end of the seventh Age; men from Scotland, given to ambition and avarice, went frequently to Rome for preferment in the Church; and seeing it lay much that way then, they did their best to advance the design of the Romish Party, wherein all the skill of worldly men was employed, both in Rome, & among the Scots of that Party; many men went to and fro, between Rome and Scotland, to bring the Scots to a full obedience unto Rome, and conformity; by name there was one Boniface sent from Rome to Scotland, a main Agent for Rome in these affairs; but he was opposed openly, by several of the Scots Culdees, or Divines; namely, by Clemens, and Samson, who told him freely, That he, and those of his Party, studied to bring men to the subjection of the Pope, and slavery of Rome, withdrawing them from obedience to Christ; and so in plain terms, they reproached to him, and to his assistants; That they were corrupters of Christ's Doctrine, establishing a Sovereignty in the Bishop of Rome, as the only successor of the Apostles, excluding other Bishops; That they used and commanded Clericall tonsure; That they forbad Priests Marriage, extolling Celibate; That they caused Prayers to be made for the dead, and erected Images in the Churches; to be short, That they had introduced in the Church many Tenets, Rites and Ceremonies, unknown to the ancient and pure times, yea, contrary to them. For the which, and the like, the said Clemens, and those that were constant to the Truth, with him were excommunicated at Rome as Heretics, as you have in the third Volume of the Concels : although the true reasons of their excommunication be not there set down.

In the eighth Age, the poor people were so blindly enslaved and intoxicat with the Cup of Rome, that they thought it a truly holy Martyrdom to suffer for the interest of Rome ; yet, although most men had left God, to worship the Beast, in these days God raised up sundry great Lights in our Church, as Alcuin, Rabanus Maurus his Disciple, John Scot, and Claudius Clemens. In this we shall remark the constant goodness of God towards his people, who made his Light shine in some measure thorough the greatest and thickest darkness, by raising up these men, who did bear witness to the Truth, both by word and writing; so that God did not altogether leave off his people. The Bishop of Rome caused to declare Alcuin (for his Book of the Eucharist ) many years after his death an Heretike. So Rome persecutes the Saints of God, even after their death.

In the ninth Age, both Prince and People, by doleful experience, did find the idleness, pride, ambition, avarice and riot of Church-men, occasioned by the indulgence of Prince and People; wherefore, at Scone under King Constantine the second, there was had a convention of States for reforming the disorders in the Church. In this Assembly it was ordained, That Church-men should reside upon their charge; have no meddling with secular affairs; that they should instruct the people diligently, and be good examples in their conversations; that they should not keep Hawks, Hounds, and Horses, for their pleasure; that they should carry no Weapons, nor be pleaders of civil Causes, but live contented with their own provisions: in case of failing in the observance of these points; For the 1, time, they were to pay a pecuniary mulct or fine; for the 2, they were to be deprived from Officio and Beneficio. Thus you see, in these most blind and confused times, That resolute Princes and People did oppose manifestly the Popes omnipotency, and highest Sovereignty. In the later part of the same Age, King Gregory was most indulgent to Church-men; he was so far from curbing and keeping them under, that he granted them many things they had not had before. Then in a convention of States holden at Forsane, it was ordained, That all Church-men should be free of paying Taxes and Impost; from keeping watch, and going to warfare. Item, They should be exempt from all Temporal judicature. Item, All Matrimoniall Causes were given over to be judgment of Church-men; as also Testaments, Legative Actions, and all things depending upon simple faith and promise. Likewise, the right of Tithes, with liberty to make Laws, Canons, and Constitutions; to try without the assistance of the temporal Judge, Heretics, Blasphemers, Perjured Persons, Magicians, &c. Lastly, it was ordained, That all Kings following, at their Coronation, should swear, to maintain Church-men in these their Liberties and Privileges.

In these days lived a Learned man, called John Scot, surnamed Aerigiena, because he was born in the Town of Air ; he published a Treatise, De corpore & sanguine Domini in Sacramento, wherein he maintained the opinion and doctrine of Bertram ; whereby he offended highly the Sea of Rome.

In the tenth Age things grew worse and worse, The Church-men did so blind the King Constantine the third, That they persuaded him to quit the Royal Crown, and take the Clericall Tonsure of a Monk, which he did at Saint Andrew's ; There were some Priests in these days, who did strive to have liberty to take lawful Wives, but in vain. A little thereafter, there were new disputes for Priests marriage; one Bernet a Scots Bishop, stood much for that cause in a national Council. In this Age, although that avarice and ambition, had corrupted, and perverted Religion generally, yet there were constantly some godly men, who albeit they could not openly stop and oppose the torrent of these times, given to Idolatry and Superstition, did instruct and teach the people, That Christ was the only propitiation for sin, and that Christ's blood only did wash us from the guilt of sin.

In the eleventh Age, Malcome gave away a part of the Crown Lands among his Nobles, for their good service against the Danes ; the Nobles in recompense thereof, did grant unto the Crown the ward of these Lands, with the benefit that was to arise by the marriage of the Heir. Untill the later part of this Age, the Bishops of Scotland, although they had raised their Order unto a great power and riches, yet they were not distinguished in Dioceses, so till then indifferently, wheresoever they came, they did Ministrate their Function, without lording over one particular place, or calling themselves Lord's of any place. The Dioceses wherein Scotland was divided at first, were these, Saint Andrew's, Glasgo, Murray, Catnes, Murthlac, or Aberdeen. The Bishops of Rome taking upon them in these days to be above Kings, and to confer in matters of Honor, upon Kings, how, and where they pleased; and so by this means, to put a farther tie of Vassalage and subjection upon Princes. To this effect, in the year 1098. ordained King Edgar to be anointed with external Oil by the Bishop of Saint Andrew's, a rite, which till that day, had not been in use among our Kings: yet they were as much the anointed of the Lord before, as they have been since, and as any other Princes, who before them had this external anointing from the Sea of Rome ; although the Romish Writers do make a greater esteem of these Kings anointed by them, then of others, because they conceive them to be more their own. Here note by the way, That all Princes whatsoever in Scripture-Language, are said to be the Anointed of the Lord; and so Cyrus was named, although he was never anointed with external Oil. Next, although the first Kings of Israel were anointed, as Saul, David, and Solomon, with some of the following Kings; namely, where there was any opposition feared of settling them in the Royal Throne; for further Confirmation were anointed. Read diligently the History of the Kings, and you shall not find that each one, or everyone of them was anointed externally, although they were all the Anoynted of the Lord. Next, you shall note, That the Oil wherewith Samuel anointed Saul and David (and so the Oil wherewith other Kings were anointed) was not an Oil consecrated, as that wherewith the High Priest, &c. was anointed, but common Oil.

The reason of the Scripture-phrase whereby all Princes are said to be anointed, is this: Anoynting, in first and most ancient times, was a sign of setting apart of a man for the Office of a King. Hence, by progress of time, any man that was set aside by God's providence to execute the Office of a King, whether he came thereunto by Succession, or by choice, or by Conquest, was called the Anoynted of the Lord, because they had the thing signified by God's appointment, notwithstanding they wanted the sign, to wit, the Ointment.

Further we shall observe here, That not only those whom God hath set aside to be Kings, be called the Anoynted of the Lord; but also the people whom he hath set aside or apart for a peculiar end: So the Prophet, speaking of the People of Israel in God's Name, useth this expression, Touch not mine Anoynted: For their sake I have reproved Kings.

Moreover note, That as the people set aside by God are said to be his Anoynted, so they are also called, A Royal Priesthood, Kings and Priests. Not that everyone of the people is a King or a Priest, these being particular Callings, no more then they were anointed; but because they are set aside by God as Priests, to offer daily unto him the Sacrifice of Righteousness, &c. And as Kings were anointed with Oil, to signify their setting aside for their peculiar Office; so everyone of us, being anointed in Baptism by the holy Spirit, is set aside to do justice, &c. as a King, in our several station.

Thus much have I, in few words, spoken of Kings anointing, and how the people are said to be anointed, or to be Priests and Kings, because in the beginning of the fifteenth Age, sundry were condemned as heretics, for saying, That every man is a Priest in some kind; and that the anointing of Kings is now needless, being an invention of Rome, to subject Princes unto it.

Some years after the beginning of the twelfth Age, King David, beside the Bishoprics formerly erected, did erect the Bishopric of Ross, Breachen, Dunkel, and Dumblane. This debonaire Prince was so profuse towards Church-men, that he gave them a good part of the ancient Patrimony of the Crown: So he and his Successors were necessitated to lay Taxes and Impost upon the people, more then formerly, to the harm of the Common-wealth. In this also he wronged the Church: for the Clergy being rich and powerful, left their Function, and gave themselves over to all riot and idleness. Till riches made Church-men lazy, this distinction in discharging the Duty of a Pastor, or of the souls per se, aut per alium, was unknown. While riches did not so abound in the Church, Church-men kept more conscience in the discharging of their places.

In this twelfth Age, the Scots, although they had Bishops ever since Palladius, who for a long time did discharge the Function indifferently in every place where they came to: And although they had of later times distinguished the limits of the bounds wherein they were to execute their Calling, by Dioceses; yet in that Age, I say, they were not come to that height, to have Primates, Metropolitans, and Arch-bishops. Wherefore their neighbor, the Arch-bishop of York, having gained the consent of the Pope, bestirred himself very earnestly, by the assistance of his King, to have the Scottish Bishops acknowledge him for the Metropolitan; whereunto the stoutest of the Scottish Clergy would not consent; but they would depend immediately upon the Pope: and to this effect, Legates were sent from Rome to Scotland ; who being come hither, and seeing the resolution of the Scottish Bishops not to submit to the Archbishop of York ; and finding their own benefit thereby, they did exempt and free the Scots Clergy, from the trouble of the Arch-bishop of York. There was one Gilbert Bishop of Catnes a great strugler for this business.

About the later end of this Age, sundry Priests were put from their Office, because they had taken Orders upon Sunday. In that time there was a Synod in Perth of Divines, such as they were, who decreed, That Sunday should be kept holy from all work, from Saturday at mid-day, or twelve of the clock, till Monday morning.

In the thirteenth Age, few years after the beginning thereof, divers kinds of Monks came into Scotland, formerly unknown to the Land; as Dominicans, Franciscans, Iacobins, and sundry other of that sort of Locusts. In this Age these Vermin of Monks did so multiply everywhere, that at a Council at Lions it was decreed, That no more new Orders of Monks should be admitted or tolerated. But how the Decree hath been kept, we see in our days.

Next, the Monks of several kinds gave themselves so to Begging, that the people were much eaten up by them, and the poor his portion was withdrawn; which occasioned a great murmur among the Commons. Upon this, there was a Decree made then, That only the Minorites, Praedicants, Carmelites, and Hermits of S. Augustine, should have liberty to beg: Whence they are called, The four Mendicants; Les quatre Mendiants.

Towards the end of this thirteenth Age fell out that great desolation of the State of Scotland, occasioned by the Controversy for the Succession of the Crown, betwixt Baliol and Bruce; Baliol being constrained by the States of Scotland to break the promise he had made to Edward of England, To subject the Crown of Scotland unto him, for judging the cause on his side. After much trouble and misery of War, the State of Scotland receives Robert Bruce, come of the second Branch, for King, recalling all the subjection and Allegiance that they had given to Baliol, because of his unworthiness to Reign: who, beside unfitness to bear rule over a Military People, had basely condescended to enslave that Nation, to whom their Liberty hath been so dear to this day, that for it, and the purity of true Religion, which both, by God's mercy, they now enjoy, they have willingly and cheerfully undergone all hazard of life and means; judging, That if they suffered these two twins, Liberty and Religion, either to be infringed, or taken from them, they had nothing left them, whereby they might be called men.

The remarkable History of King James the first of Scotland, fitteth this purpose very well. The Passage is this: King James the first going into France, was taken by the English, and kept prisoner by them for many years. In that time the King of England goes to France, to make War; and at his arrival there, he finds an Army of Scots ready to fight for the Alliay of Scotland, the French King, against the English. Upon this, the King of England moves King James, whom he had taken along with him, to write unto the Scots, and to charge them, upon their Allegiance, not to draw their Sword against the party where he their King was in person. The Scots answered, That they were sent into France to assist their Alliays against the common enemy. As for him who writ unto them, since he was a prisoner, and not a free man, they neither owed him Allegiance, nor would they give him any, so long as he was in prison; but if he were set at liberty, and were living among them, they would obey him according to the Laws of the Country; since the Crown was settled upon him by the consent of the States, and so they did; for these Kingdoms were governed in his name, without any communication with him, during the time of his imprisonment, which was very long; but when he went home, he was received and obeyed as King. From this Princes may learn, that although people do submit themselves to their Government; the resignation is not so full as to devest themselves of all power in such a way, That the Prince may dispose of them as he thinks right or wrong, he ordinarily being misled and kept captive, by those that are about him; who for the most part, have no regard to the public good, nor to the credit and esteem of him, to whom in show they profess themselves so addicted; the people have constantly reserved even unto themselves by the consent of all men, yea, of the greatest Court-parasites and Sycophants of Princes, that the Prince cannot, nor ought not to enslave or subject the people to any Forreign Power; and where Princes by Pusillanimitie and ill counsel, have essayed or attempted such a thing, they have smarted for it, witness Baliol, who not only was excluded himself from the Crown, but also his Posterity; and it was settled upon the next Branch, to wit, Robert Bruce, with his descendents, where it continues to this day by God's providence. Then since the people have reserved this power in themselves, to stop the Prince, to put them under any Forreign yoke or slavery; is it possible, That they have not reserved a power to right themselves from domestic, and intestine slavery, and misery, slavery being ever one and the same? For what is it to me by whom I suffer evil of one and the same kind and degree, whether it be by a neighbor, or a stranger, a forreigner, or a con-citizen? yea, when I suffer by him who should be my friend, and stand for the same Freedom with me, my suffering is the greater.

To this purpose you have a memorable Passage of William the Norman; who, although he had invaded England with the Sword, and by it had defeated him who did oppose him for the Crown, with all his adherents and party, and in consequencie of this Victory, had committed many out-rages with a strong hand; yet the same William could never assure himself nor his Posterity of the Allegeance of the People, till he had sworn solemnly (according to the Rite of the times) for himself and his, To govern according to the good and approved Laws of the Land, as the best Kings before him had done.

Then the County of Kent, in its own name, and in the name of the whole Kingdom, declared, That neither Kent, nor any other of the Kingdom, was conquered, but in a peaceable way did submit to William the Norman, upon Condition, and with Proviso, That all their Liberties, and free Customs in use and practice, should be kept. If this was not accomplished afterwards, it was silliness of the People that suffered themselves to be abused, and the fault of misled Princes, that did not keep their promise whereunto they were tied: And sundry, for the breach of this promise, have had occasion to repent, when it hath been too late.

We shall add one example more, which is, of Henry the eighth; who, anno 1525, the seventeenth year of his Reign, by the advice of his Council, put a Tax upon the people; which the people did not only refuse to pay, but declared, That the thing was unjust and unlawful. Withall, wherever they met those whom the King had employed for the gathering the money, they used them so kindly, that they did never come twice to one place for the payment of the Tax. The King seeing this, he disclaims the Imposition of the Tax, and so do the Nobles that convened at London, by his Command, for that purpose, and lays all the fault upon ill counsel, namely, upon Wolsey. This was Henry constrained to do, notwithstanding his resoluteness against all foreign enemy, chiefly the Pope, with his shavelings. By this instance, Henry acknowledged his power to be limited, and no ways arbitrary: Against the doctrine of our now Cout-parasites.

Now if the People have this much power in them, as to stand for their Temporal Liberty, both against foreign and domestic slavery; far more may they, and ought they, to defend the Spiritual Freedom, which Christ, having purchased with his Blood, hath left them, as Members of his Church. But all this defense of Liberty and Religion ought to be made so, that it be without by-ends, sinistrous respects, of hatred, malice, ambition, &c. The only scope and main drift being, To have God's glory, in the Light of his Gospel, settled and maintained, The People at quiet, The Prince obeyed, in God, and for God (i. e.) according to the Law of God, Nature, Nations, and the Country or Kingdom, so far as possibly can be. This being looked to carefully, there is no gap opened to Rebellion; which is a fighting against God's Ordinance, and not the just and necessary opposing of the abuse and corrupting of the good Ordinance of God.

But here a Court-slave will say, If things be so, there is no absoluteness in Monarchs and Princes?

To answer this, we must know what is to be meant by absolute, or absoluteness ; whereof I find two main significations. First, absolute signifieth perfect, and absoluteness, perfection: Hence we have in Latin this expression, Perfectum est omnibus, numeris absolutum. And in our vulgar Language we say, A thing is absolutely good, when it is perfectly good. Next, absolute signifieth free from tie or bond; which in Greek is 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 . Now, say I, if you take absolute for perfect, that Prince or Magistrate is most absolute, that is most perfect, who governs most absolutely, or most perfectly. The absoluteness or perfection of Government consists in its conformity to the perfect Rule which is written in the Law of God, printed in the heart of man, received generally of all wise People, and in practice by all particular well-polished Common-wealths. Next, I say, if you take absolute for free from tie or bond, That no Prince nor Magistrate is free; for every Magistrate or Prince, as well as the private man, is bound to keep the Law of God, of Nature, &c. not only in particular things, for his own singular carriage, but also in public businesses, for the good and society of men, or of the people: for God hath given his Law, and Nature her Dictates to all, to the observance of which all men are tied. Yea, farther, they are not only bound in their several Conditions, and tied to the performance thereof in their own persons; but also are bound to further it with all their might, and take away all things that may lett and stop this performance, or deter and withdraw men from it. Read Levite. 19.17. where every man is commanded to rebuke his neighbor, and stop him from sinning. Read Deut. 17.19, 20. where the King is commanded to have continually the Copy of the Law before him for his Rule and Guide. What is in 1 Sam. 8.10. is what a King is likely to do, and not what he ought or should do. This is clear; for in the place now named, in Deuteronomy, the King is told what he ought to do; but that he is said to do in Samuel, is contrary to the Ordinance of God. Confer the places, and you will easily see this truth. Next, a Prince is said to be absolute, that is, not in any kind subaltern to another, and whose subjects acknowledge (under God) no other but him. Hence you may see, That the Popish Kings and Princes are not absolute; for, beside the great number of people within their Dominions who are immediate sworn vassals to the Pope, I mean, the Shavelings; The Prince himself takes Oath, at his Reception, To uphold the over-ruling Government of the Pope, under the masked name of Spirituality; and the simple abused Prince shall have for a reward, to make up all, a little holy Oil to anoint him, and bear the Title of most Christian or Catholic Princes. Farther, I say, That the Prince, who although in some things hath cast off the yoke of this god upon earth (for so is the Pope now and then called) but keeps up a part of his tyranny in the Church of God over his people, wants and loses so much of his absoluteness, for this tie upon him from a foreign Prince, the Pope. But here the Pope showeth the height of his cunning; for he seeing that Princes are told frequently, That they are either absolute, or ought to be such, bethinks himself to keep up his super-eminency above Princes, as his vassals, and yet make the Princes find an absoluteness; which he acts by his Emissaries, and their inferior instruments, for their own private ends, whom he makes inculcate in the ears of Princes, That their absoluteness consisteth in doing with the Life, Liberty and Fortunes of the People, as seems good in their eyes, without any regard to the good of human Society, which is the true End of all Government: But with this Proviso, That those who have relation to him immediately, be exempted: and these are not only his shavelings, who are openly obedient to his commands and orders, &c. but also those, yea, in Kingdoms where his name is in a kind rejected, who keep up his tyrannical Laws and Ordinances, as we have felt of late, namely, in these Dominions wherein we live, to our woeful experience; for they, to uphold and increase their power, have cast both Prince and People into great troubles, making the Prince believe, That without them he hath no being.

But to show thee that Princes may use the people committed to their Charge like beasts, and yet nevertheless are not absolute, cast thy eyes in the neighbor Countries only upon the Duke of Savoy, and the Duke of Florence ; who, although they be Sovereigns in a kind over the people, and deal most hardly with them, taking their Lives and Fortunes away at their pleasure, yet they are not acknowledged to be absolute Princes; for they are vassals of the Empire, and their chief titles are to be Officers thereof: So the Duke of Savoy is qualified Vicar of the Empire, &c.

If you consider the Prince, and people committed to his Charge, as having relation one to another, I say, they are both bound one to another by Duty; the Prince first bound to rule and govern according to the Law of God, of Nature, of Nations, and Municipall Laws of the Country and the People is bound to obey him accordingly: but if the Prince command anything against these, his commands are not to be obeyed, God being only he, to whose commands Obedience is simply due, and to be given; but to men, only obedience with limitation, and in external things, according to the Laws so oft above named, at the least not against them, or opposite to them. The Chimaera, or rather Solaecisme in reason of passive Obedience, is not to be thought on among rational men, it being the invention of Court-parasites, a mere nothing, or non ens, for Obedience consisteth in action, as all other virtues do, and not is suffering. Farther, whosoever, for not obeying a wicked command of a Superior, suffereth, if he can stop it, or shun it, is an enemy to his own being, wherein he offends against nature; for you see every natural thing striveth to conserve itself against what annoyeth it; then he sins against the Order of God, who in vain hath ordained us so many lawful Means for the preservation of our Being, if we suffer it to be destroyed, having power to help it. But then it will be demanded; What, is there no absoluteness in human Authority? I answer, simple absoluteness there is none under God; For all human Authority is limited by the Laws aforesaid, and extends to farther then external things; yet comparatively human Authority is said to be absolute, when it is free from any Forreigne Superior Power. So when Henry the eighth, having cast off the Romish yoke, and putting down the vassalage of these his Dominions unto the Pope, caused divers Books to be written of the absolute Empire or Authority of the Prince; although, after the freeing himself from the Pope, he had not, nor did not pretend to have anymore absolute power over the people, then he had before; but albeit this Prince did much for the regaining the absolute Authority to the Crown again, in chasing away the Romish Pontiff, yet, he did it not fully, in so far as he kept still the Romish Rites, and the Hierarchy, or Prelacy, wherein the Romish Fox lurking, hath kept himself in these Countries unto this day; and now having acted the Fox long enough, he is acting the Woolf by dedestroying the people of God; if the Successors of King Henry had not kept in the Romish Superstitious Rites and Hierarchy, they, and we all had had better times, then we have all tasted of. Although King Henry for his Vices, be blame worthy to all posterity, yet I must say, in all human appearance, That if the Prelat-Bishops, to whom he trusted the reforming of the abuses of the Church, had been as forward, as he was willing, there had been a better Reformation then was in his time, witness this instance, The People desired freedom to read the Scripture, the then Bishops refused this unto the People. Whereupon the King was petitioned in the name of the People, the King grants their Petition; the Bishops hearing of the Kings grant, thus limit it, not daring to deny it flatly, That all Gentlemen should have liberty to read the Scripture, since it was the Kings pleasure ; but for others, the permission was stopped: As if Yeomen and Tradesmen, had not as much interest in God's Word, as Gentlemen. Then remark all those that were put to death for the testimony of the Truth in Henry the eighth his days, were persecuted by the Bishops of the time, although the blame lieth upon the Prince; for albeit they had in compliance to the King renounced the Pope by word of mouth, yet in effect they kept up his tyranny, by his doctrine (with small alteration changed) his Rites and Ceremonies, Canons and Laws, Prelacie or Hierarchy maintained: And seeing the King so opposite to the Pope, they condescended that the King should bear the blasphemous Title of the Pope, Head of the Church, although with reluctancy: and so it proved; for notwithstanding all the Statutes that were made in favor of this Title taken from the Pope, and attributed to the King, the Bishops with cunning and subtle proceedings, kept a foot the power of the Pope; and so soon as they saw the occasion of Queen Marie her Reign, they freely and easily brought all back again to Rome, without Maske or Limitation: and ever since, their successors, although by the course of affairs (they) have been obliged to disclaim the Pope his authority, yea, and his doctrine in some measure; yet they, ever since, to this day, have expressed their inclinations, and done their endeavors to return thither again, as we all know by doleful experience. But here it may be demanded, What drift or policy can it be in the Bishops, to desire to be subject to Rome, rather then to their Prince, and Laws of the Country? The answer is, The propensitie of us all, to follow evil rather then good, is known, namely, When the evil hath the mask of worldly dignity, pomp, power, and pleasure, which hinders it to be seen in its own colors. Now the Bishops and all the rabble of that corrupt Clergy, are given to Temporal, howsoever unlawful advantages, as their ambition, avarice, and lust, from the very beginning hath shewn; which exorbitant passions lead men headlong, without measure, when once way is given unto them, unless they meet with some lett or stop, which is both lesser and slower, when it is a far off, namely, when it cometh from one who is possessed with the same distempers, and himself of the same order of men with the Delinquent; and so the Bishops of this Island, had rather have to do with the Pope, then with the Prince.

First, Because of mutual infirmity the Pope proveth more indulgent then any Prince.

Next, The Prince is too near them, and so it is best for them to be so free of the Prince his Jurisdiction, that they may be able not only to neglect him, but also to oppose him. For all, let that example of the Canterbury -prelat serve; who made the King for the time to hold the Stirrup when he gat up upon his horse. The Story is known.

I called a little before the Title of Head of the Church, used by the Pope, and then given to Henry, blasphemous. To lay aside all other things that may be alleged against this Title, I shall only say this; The Church is the Spouse of Christ: No Spouse can be said to have any other Head, but him whose Spouse she is. Now if the Church should acknowledge herself to be the Spouse of any other but of Christ, she were a professed Whore and Adulteress. By no means then a Prince is to be called, The Head of the Church : For although the civil Magistrate is obliged, according to his rank and place, to see the Ministers of the Church do the work of the Lord, truly, diligently, and carefully, and to make them do it according to the Will of God declared in his Word; yet for all this, he is nothing but a servant, overseer, or grass, and not the Head, which is a Title belonging only to Christ; wherefore, Princes or Magistrates, that by slavish flatterers had this Title given unto them at the first, had done well to reject it, as their Successors, who have followed, had done well likewise, (according to God his Will) if they had not suffered this Title to have been continued unto them, namely, in the public prayers, where the time-serving inconsiderate Minister prayeth, in the name of the Church, for her Head ; if the Head of the Church needs to be prayed for, then the influences of the Head, upon the Church, will be but poor and weak, &c. But of this enough for this place.

Moreover, The flattering Preachers, unrequired in the public prayers in the name of the Church, call the Prince forsooth, The Breath of our Nostrils, taking for his ground, the words of Jeremiah, in his Lamentations, Chap. 4. verse. 20. Which words, by the Current of the Ancients, and Septuagint, are to be understood of Christ Jesus; True it is, The Rabbins have interpreted the words of one of the Kings of Judah, to wit, Josiah, or Zedekias ; and hence some of the later Expositors have explained these words, That first and literally they may be applied to one of the Kings of Judah, who were all figures of Christ to come, but principally, and mainly the words are to be understood of Christ Jesus, by the consent of all ; So to attribute these words to any Prince earthly, cannot be without offense to Christ; For who can be said properly, and well, To be the Breath of our Nostrils, but he, who inspireth into us life, that is God. In like manner, the inconsiderate Ministers of the Gospel, abusing the Text of the eightieth Psalm, which, by the consent of all, is understood of Christ truly, and of David, as a figure of Christ to come, call the King, The man of thy right hand, this in no ways, without Blasphemy, can be attributed unto any earthly Prince; for none is to be said a figure of Christ, as David, and his Successors were by a particular dispensation. But if misapplying, and mistaking of Texts of Scripture will do business, since Magistrates are said to be gods, you may as well call the Prince god, as the Roman Emperor was of old by some so called, and now the Pope, by his Court-parasites: which Titile of god, no Prince will suffer to be given unto him; Surely, as it is a very great crime, not to give due respect, reverence, and obedience unto him, whom God hath set over us for our good, according to his wise Ordinance; so on the other side, it is a huge sin to Idolize the Prince, making him a god, when he is but a weak, and infirm man, servant of God. This second fault is committed chiefly by the Sycophants and Parasites, who have no other Church, nor Chapel, but the Court, and make Petition to none, but to the King, whom to please, they wholly study, that they may catch somewhat to satisfy their inordinate desires. And the first is committed, namely, by their prelatical Clergy, who withdraw from the Prince a great part of his due, when they study to exempt themselves from his Obedience, and take from him any inspection upon them, namely, concerning the discharge of their calling, although by God's Ordinance it be a main part of his Office, to see God served, and worshipped, according to his Will revealed in his sacred Word.

We have a little above seen, how that by the flattery of some Court-preachers, the custom is brought into the Church, to give unto the Prince, not only swelling, but blasphemous Titles in the public Prayer, that is made by the Minister in the name of the Church; but although, this be too great an evil, and requireth Reformation, yet the flattery of some Preachers hath not stayed here; for they, according to their custom, having addicted themselves to any one, whom they conceive may help them to preferment, stick not in the pulpit, where all relation should be laid aside, save that of a Minister of God's Word, to publish themselves, yea, in their Prayers, to be varlets to this man, or that man; and, what is worse yet, in the Prayer they call their Masters and Lord's Virtuous, Pious, and Religious, when it is known to all, That for the most part they have little Virtue, less Piety, and no Religion at all. To have pointed at these things, shall suffice for this place. If any man will be contentious for these practices, I answer him, That the well-Reformed Churches have no such Customs; for among the other abuses whereof they have been purged, by the care and diligence of the faithful Vine-dressers, under God's blessing, they have been pruned of this rotten Bud of slavish flattery, as a corruption much opposite and contrary to the dignity and power of the Gospel. But let us return, after this long Digression.

In these days (that is, in the thirteenth Age) lived Michael Scot, renowned for his Learning in Physic, Astronomy, &c. He is remembered by Picus Mirandula, and Cornelius Agrippa, very honourably. Also then lived Thomas Lermouth, commonly called, The Rythmer ; whose Predictions are extant to this day: But no wise man can make anything of them, more then of Merlin his Prophesies, who lived long before him; although sundry have pleased their fancies with idle Expositions of these two men's dreams.

Towards the end of this thirteenth Age, the good Roman Pontif Boniface the eight, making use of the havie moans and complaints that some of Scotland, namely, of the Bishops and other Clergy-men, with their clients, made against King Edward of England, who then did cruelly afflict the Country, claims a right unto the Crown of Scotland, as re • igned unto him by the States: And upon this he writes an insulting Letter, and full of threatenings, unto Edward, that he was so malapert as to do any wrong to his vassals and subjects, where he had none, truly, save the Bishops, and Shavelings, with their clients. Whether the Clergy did make this offer of subjection unto the Pope, or whether he did falsely invent this lie, we cannot tell, but it is betwixt the Pope and his shaved creatures; such master, such men. Let this teach us, how the Popes are, and have been, and will be ever constantly ready watching at all occasions, to draw all things to their Cross. But this owning of the Scots by the Pope for his peculiar people did not last long; for in a very short time thereafter, notwithstanding the great ignorance of these days, the Scots shown themselves refractaries to his holy Orders; and he, in revenge, did thunder the fire-bolts of his Excommunication against these rude fellows, putting them to the Interdict, all to small purpose; for by these Bolts they were but very little dashed.

We have heard how that in former times the Church of Scotland was served by Culdees, and they ruled by their Presbyteries or Elders, having a Moderator, or Prefect of themselves, and of their own choosing: This was for many years. When Palladius brought in Prelacie, a new holy Order, into the Church of Scotland, unknown to the preceding Ages, it was with this Restraint, That Bishops should be chosen by the Culdees, and of them: But when Bishops had once gotten certain Dioceses and Limits allotted unto them, they set up a new Presbytery of their own, or Council of Canons or Regulars, which they called Chapters; by whom they intended to be chosen in following times. The Culdees seeing this, did oppose it with their main strength, namely, under King David, who did take up the business thus (being carried away by the Prelates) That so many of the Culdees as would be Canons, should have hand in the choosing of the Bishops. But the Bishops, to elude this Ordinance of the Prince, obtained a Mandate from the Pope, That no Culdee should be received in the Convent of Canons, but by the consent of the Prior, and most part of the Canons. By these means the Culdees were kept out, and deprived of their voice in choosing of the Bishop. In the time of the troubles of Baliol and Bruce, one William Cumin, Prefect of the Culdees, thinks it fit for to bestir himself, to try what he could regain upon the Canons; and so he opposeth the Election by the Canons of one William Lamberton to the Sea of S. Andrew's: The business being come to a great height, by Appeal was drawn to Rome, where, after much debate pro forma, time and moneys employed, the holy Father Boniface the eight pronounces sentence, in favor of his dear Clients the Canons; and so Lamberton is made Bishop, and consecrated by the Pope Boniface. This fact turned so to the disgrace of the Culdees, that after that time we read no more of them; so the Name and Order by little and little came to be quite extinguished, about the beginning of the thirteenth age.

In the beginning of the fourteenth age, the Order of the Templars was put down, whether for their just demerits, or for private ends and hatred, we leave it to the Histories of these times, Pope Clement the fifth by his Bull did cashier them, the Bull beginning thus, Quanquam de jure non possumus, tamen pro plenitudine potestatis dictum Ordinem reprobamus, &c. After which all Christian Princes did cause them to be apprehended in their several Dominions, and put them from their estates, which was then given to Hospitallers and Knights of Saint John, after they had stood about two hundred years, instituted by Baldonin King of Jerusalem, for defense of that City and Temple, and the safe conveying of all such as did travel thither: They are also called Red friers, because their Gownes were Red. In this fourteenth age did flourish the great Scholastic Johannes, called Scotus from his Nation, and Duns from the place of his Birth, for he was born in the Town of Duns in the Mers ; he was a great Opposer of Thomas of Aquin his Doctrine; his Sectaries were called Scotists, his Epitaph was thus:

In the beginning of the fifteenth age there was a great Schism in the Romish Church, Pope against Pope; yea, sometimes there were three Popes at one time fighting one against another, and excommunicating one another; this Schism lasted about thirty years, and by the Council of Constance Martin the fifth was made Pope, and the rest defeated: There was one John Fogo, a Monk of Milros, who in Scotland defended the Election of Martin by the Council, against Benedict, alias, Peter de Lune.

During this forenamed Schism, many (taking occasion of the opennesse of the times) began boldly and freely to speak against the bad Doctrine, Government and Lives of the Church-men, and that not only in private discourse, but they also preached it publicly, as John Wycliffe in England, John Hus and Jerome of Prague in Bohemia, who spoke before the people freely of the Tyrannie of the Government of the Clergy, the corruption of their Doctrine, and wickedness of their lives. In those days also there were some in Scotland, who feared not to make known to the people the Truth of God, as namely James Resby and Paul Craw (among others) who suffered Martyrdom for the Truth. About this time the Carthusians were brought from England into Scotland, and had built unto them a Monastery at Perth. In this Age the University of Saint Andrew's was set up, chiefly by the means of Henry Wardlaw Bishop of the place, that in some kind the Schools of Learning might not be altogether wanting, which formerly had flourished for so long a time among the Culdees, and of later years had quite decayed; this good did Wardlaw: As his Predecessor William Trail had built the Castle of the same City; So his Successor James Kenedy built the old College likewise, called Saint Salvator his College; Patrick Grahame, that came after him, was the man that brought into Scotland the Title of Primate, Metropolitan, and Archbishop, by Bull of Sextus quartus. From the first Preaching of the Gospel, till Palladius, the Church of Scotland was happy without Bishops. From Palladius to King Malcolme his days the Bishops had no distinct Dioceses or Parishes from King Malcolme: till Patrick Grahame they were without Archbishops; this Title and higher rank of Authority did not succeed well with Grahame, for the other Bishops could suffer no Superior under the Pope, namely so near them, hitherto having rejected all the pretensions of the Archbishop of York ; The inferior Clergy also were afraid of the increase of the Authority of the Man whom they conceived austere and rigid, and so by the Faction of the corrupt Court and disordered Clergy, poor Grahame lost the Title he had procured, with the Benefice, and one Shevez got his spoil; and what a sweet Bird Shevez was, the Stories of that time do sufficiently manifest.

Robert Blacater seeing the Bishop of Saint Andrew's now a Metropolitan and Archbishop, obtains from Alexander the sixth a Bull, whereby he is made Archbishop also, and he had under him the Bishops of Galloway, Argyle and Isles ; which new dignity angered the Archbishop of Saint Andrew's, above the loss of his Vassals; for to have a Companion in equal dignity set up beside him was hard; but he must digest the Pill, since the Pope will have it so.

Lastly, David Beaton brought in the Title of Cardinal into Scotland, who hath been the only man that hath born that Title in this Country, and how it did speed with him, the following History will tell you.

As in the beginning of the fifteenth age the Schism for the Papacie opened thorough Christendom many men's mouths, and busied their Pennes to set forth the corruption of the Church, and the Vices of the Clergy; even so in the beginning of the sixteenth age, those that fought for the Bishopric of Saint Andrew's, by their dissention gave occasion to many in Scotland to speak in public and private of the corruption of Church-men's Lives, Government and Doctrine in Scotland ; which coming to the Popes ears, presently he sent unto the King, James the fourth, a Sword, with the Title of Protector of the Faith ; as if all Christian Princes were not in duty bound to protect the Faith in Christ; but the Faith whi • h the Pope would have the King to protect, was his erroneous Doctrine, and Tyrannicall Authority.

Some few years after this, Henry the eighth was declared by the Pope, Defender of the Faith, and had the Sword likewise. James the 4 of Scotland being dead, now by the corrupt Courtiers the young inconsiderate King James was made believe, That the conferring of this new Title by the Pope, did bring unto him a great preeminence; yea, the Court Sycophants did not stick to call it, A new Royalty, when in effect it was nothing else but a new note of his Vas • allage to Rome ; and by the accepting of the Sword he did engage himself to make war for Rome ; and so he did indeed, for sundry men after this, during his short Reign, were persecuted, and suffered death for the Truth of Christ. This is the second remarkable Badge of slavery put upon our Princes by the Pope; the former was their Anointing by him, as we have seen before.

Here be pleased with me to remark, That of all the Bishops of Scotland before the Reformation, namely, since they were made Lord's of certain places, and had particular Dioceses, you cannot find one who had any care of the true Charge of Pastor; for their whole study was, to raise their power, and to increase their means for the upholding of their power: and, to effectuate this more easily and fully, they kept both Prince and people in dark ignorance of God's Will and Word. But because they must seem to do somewhat for the name sake of Bishops, they caused to build walls of Temples and Chapels, set up images and pictures richly dressed, to content the eyes, and brought into the Church Instruments of Music, and artificial Singing with great skill, to content the ear; Also they brought in sweet perfume and incense for the smell; so the most subtle senses were thus satisfied. And, to make a show to keep under the senses which are more gross, there must be some kind of Fasting enjoined to the people, and chastenesse to the Church-men. But how, and to what purpose these two last have been kept, all men know. But kept or not, all is one, all these Ordinances which the Bishops set up for Religion, have been discovered by God's mercy, to be not only without Warant in God's Word, but plainly contrary to the same. Of all the Bishops of Scotland in time of Reformation, there was only one or two who embraced the Truth, all the rest were either professed persecutors of God's Children, and open enemies of the Truth, or else they were given altogether so to satisfy their bellies and lusts, that they had no care of Religion; witness George Creichton (in the name of all the rest) Bishop of Dunkell, who confessed truly, That he had lived a long time Bishop, and never knew anything of the Old or New Testament.

Impiety, Ignorance and Wickedness came to such height among the Church-men of all ranks, degrees and professions, that God being, after so long patience, in a manner vexed with them, did stir up the people to chase them from the service of his House, and to put others in their places, as you will see in this following History, whereunto I refer you. And I shall close up this discourse with one or two passages, worthy to be known; whereby you may see the learning of the Church-Doctors in those days, and how they did employ the knowledge they had to abuse the poor people. The first Passage is this: One Richard Marshall Prior of the Blackefriers at Newcastle in England, preached in Saint Andrew's, That the Pater-noster should be said to God only, and not to the Saints: The Doctors of Saint Andrew's offended at it, made a Gray frier, called Tottis, preach against Marshall his Tenet; which he did thus, (taking his Text out of the fifth of Saint Matthew, Blessed are the poor in spirit ) Seeing we say, Good day, Father, to any old man in the Street, we may call a Saint, Pater, who is older then any alive; And seeing they are in Heaven, we may say to any of them, Our Father which art in heaven: And seeing they are holy, we may say to any of them, Hallowed be thy name: And since they are in the Kingdom of Heaven, we may say, Thy kingdom come: And seeing their will is God's Will, we may say to any of them, Thy will be done. But when the Gray Friar preaching came to the fourth Petition, Give us this day our daily bread, he was hissed at, and so was constrained not only to leave off Preaching, but also to leave the City for shame. Yet among the Doctors then assembled, the Dispute continued about the Pater ; for some would have it said to God formaliter, and to the Saints materialiter ; others, to God principaliter, to the Saints minus principaliter ; others, primario to God, secundario to the Saints; others would have it said to God taking it strict, and to the Saints taking it late : Notwithstanding all these Distinctions, the Doctors could not agree upon the business. A fellow, called Tom, servant to the Sub-Prior of Saint Andrew's, one day perceiving his Master much troubled with some business, and as he conceived weighty, said to him, Sir, what is the matter of this your trouble? The Master answered, We cannot agree about the saying of the Pater. The fellow replied, To whom should it be said, but to God alone? The Master answers again, What shall we do then with the Saints? The fellow duplies, Give them Ave's and Credo's enough, that may suffice them, and too well too. If this was good Divinity, God knows. The second passage likewise is very well worth the knowing, and to this purpose very fit, which fell out about the same time with the former, that is, about the first beginning of the Reformation. A little before the death of George Wischard, there came home from Rome a fellow charged with very many holy Relics, and new things of great virtue, as he gave out; but the things were not to be had, nor any benefit by the sight or touching of them, without moneys. Now upon a holy day, in a village near Hadington, this Romish Pedler did open his pack, to try if he could vent any of his Wares among the Country people. Among other commodities, the good Merchant did show unto the people there was a Bell of much value, by reason of its great virtue; which he gave out to be this, That if any two parties had any difference, which could not be otherwise decided but by Oath, the truth of the Oath was to be made known by this Bell: for (said he) when any one sweareth, laying his hand on this Bell, if he swear true, he shall after the Oath sworn remove his hand easily from from the Bell, without any change to the Bell: But if he that sweareth having his hand upon the Bell sweareth falsely, his hand will stick to the Bell, and the Bell will rive asunder. Now we must tell you, That already there was a rift in the Bell, which this Romipete did affirm had happened by a false Oath of one that had sworn having his hand upon the Bell. At this tale the poor simple people were astonished, and fell in admiration. But among them was one Fermer, who had some light of the Truth of God; he drawing near the Romish Merchant, desired to have the Bell in his hand, to see it nearly. This desire was granted unto him. Then he takes the Bell, and looks on it, expressing great admiration at first; but immediately thereafter, he asked at the Romipete, if he would suffer him to swear in presence of the company, having his hand upon the Bell, for he had mind to take an Oath upon a weighty business. The man could not refuse him. Then said the Farmer to the company, Friends, before I swear, you see the rift that is already in the Bell, and how big it is, and that I have nothing upon my fingers to make them stick to the Bell. With this he showeth them his hand open: then laying his hand upon the Bell, he did swear this; I swear, in the presence of the living God, and before these good people, That the Pope of Rome is Antichrist, and that all the rabble of his Clergy, Cardinals, Archbishops, Bishops, Priests, Monks, with the rest of the crew, are Locusts, come from hell, to delude the people, and to withdraw them from God: Moreover, I promise, They will return to hell. Incontinent he lifted up his hand from the Bell before them all, and said, See, friends, that I have lifted up my hand freely from the Bell, and look unto the rift in the Bell, it is one and the same, without change; this showeth, according to the saying of this Merchant, That I have sworn truth. Then this poor fellow went away, and never was more seen in Scotland, nor any other of his kind, who brought Relics, or other like toys from Rome.

Many more of this kind might be alleged, but let these suffice, to demonstrate the miserable ignorance from which God in his mercy hath delivered us; To whom be praise and glory, for this and all other benefits.

With this I end the Preface, that you may come to the History itself.

Errata.

THe Life. Page 2. line 7. dele he. P. 5. l. 38. r. ordinarily. P. 6. l. 24. r. would.

Preface. P. 4. l. 23. r. Author, P. 37. l. 5. d. in, P. 39. l. 12, 13. r. the Kingdom was, l. 25. r. ever, P. 40. l. 20. r. any part, P. 45. l. 8. r. grief.

The first Book. P. 4. l. 43. r. he did, p. 36. l. 3 • . r. drowned, p. 37. l. 7. r. used not, p. 39. l. 6. r. inviolably, l. 7. r. worthy, p. 76. l. 47 d. from, p 58. l. 33. d. not, p. 73. l. 14. r. Kitching. l. 45. r. design, p. 17. l. 48. add, they call it, wrote to, p. 104. l. 44. r. seen so, p. 105. l. 36. r. did, l. 37. r. him for, p. 109. l. 9. r. never so, p. 15. l. 36. r. only.

The second Book. P. 124. l. 20. r. these, p. 134. l. 19. r. with, l. 39. r. were, l. 46. r. their, p. 144. l. 21. r. we, p. 147. l. 27. r. bondmaide, p. 152. l. 16. r. assisters, p. 155. l. 47. r. concur, p. 157. l. 33. r. also, l. 37. r. is true, p. 158 l. 32. r. such time, p. 163. l. 17. r. first the, p. 165. l. 44. r. without, p. 166. l. 26. r. his, p. 168. l. 2. r. nor, p. 172. l. 43. r. thereof is, l. 44. r. moved, p. 174. l. 38. r. is not, p. 175. l. 3. r. as well, p. 179. l. 1. r. just, l. 29. r. persons, p. 190. l. 4. r. to say, p. 198. l. 19. r. to us by her, l 21. r. as we that be, In the Margin, p. 201. r. heart. P. 203. l. 32. r. many, p. 209. l. 32. r. offended not, p. 210. l. 28. r. uncertain, l. 30. r. uncertain, l. 39. in their.

The third Book, P. 214▪ l. 19. r. at, p. 415. l. 13. r. did God, p. 227. l. 17. r. declare, p. 228. l. 34. r. persuade me of, p. 229. l. 2. r. in you, p. 230. l. 14. r. at the, p. 243. l. 23. d. which, p. 244. l. 32. r. wife, p. 248. l. 18. r. shall not, p. 249. l. 12. r. their parts, p. 255. l. 20. defrauded, p. 261. l. 25. r. restrained, p. 264. l. 14. r. as it, p. 266. l. 47. r. as, p. 271. l. 6. r. we, l. 28. r. not to, l. 48. r. which they, p. 274. l. 23. r. foulelesse, p. 282. l. 21. r. upon, p. 284. l. 24. r. if any man, l. 23. r. would put, p. 288. l. 1. r. drops, p. 297. l. 3. r. hath, p. 300. l. 4. r. peace kept.

The fourth Book, P. 304. l. 24. d. the, p. 305. l. 19. d. must, p. 306. l. 1. r. surfeit wet, p. 307. l. 19. r. as, p. 311. l 40. r. as well, p. 312. l. 2. r. authority, p. 313. l. 12. r. he, l. 39. r. shall only, l. 47. r. is, p. 316.35. r. might not, p. 317. l 9. r. whither, p. 319 l. 15. r. concur, l. 20 r. she, p. 321. l 34. r. charge, p. 324. l. 28. r. meats, p. 326. l. 7. r. modified, p. 327. l. 39. r. women, p. 352. l 3. r. dearth. l. 5. r. many, p. 359. l. 1. r. her, p. 366. l. 12. r. within, l. 19. r. days, p 369▪ l. 24. r. unlawful, p. 373. l. 36. r. if the, p. 375. l. 32. r. all through, l. 34. r. sins, p. 386. l. 35. r. death, p. 387. l. 1. r. which, l. 45. r. what, p. 392. l. 25. r. will say, p. 393. l. 4. r. misknow, p. 397. l. 5. r. this, l. 10. r. the.

The fifth Book, P. 413. l. 39. r. best, p. 414. l. 17. r. to, p. 416. l. 5. • . celerity, p. 421.36. r. as you, p. 436. l. 26. r. foolish cagots, p. 437. l. 7. r. to such, p. 447. l. 5. dele was, l. 23. r. saying.

Appendix, P. 7. l. 43. r. ye▪ p. 29. l. 6. r. result, l. 10. world, p. 60. l. 44. r. Mistress, p. 78. l. 15. r. time, p. 79. l. 7. r. Jehu, pag. 99. l. 1. r. whole, l. 11. r. final, p. 102. l. 4 • . r. punished, p. 106. l. 1. r. all, p. 111. l. 17. r. him, p. 112. l. 24. r. perceived.

THE HISTORIE OF THE REFORMATION Within the Realm of SCOTLAND, from the year 1422. Till the 20. day of August. 1567. THE FIRST BOOK.

I N the Records of Glasgow is found mention of one whose name was James Resby, an Englishman by Birth, Scholar to Wycliffe ; He was accused as an Heretike, by one Lawrence Lindors in Scotland, and burnt for having said, That the Pope was not the Vicar of Christ, and that a man of wicked life was not to be acknowledged for Pope. This fell out, Anno 1422. Farther our Chronicles make mention, That in the days of King James the first, about the year of God 1431. was deprehended in the University of Saint Andrew's, one named Paul Craw, a Boheme, who was accused of Heresy, before such as then were called Doctors of Theology. His accusation consisted principally, That he followed John H • s and Wycliffe, in the opinion of the Sacrament; Who denied that the substance of Bread and Wine were changed by virtue of any words; Or that Confession should be made to Priests; or yet Prayers to Saints departed: While that God gave him grace to resist them, and not to consent to their impiety; He was committed to the secular Judge (for our Bishops following Pilate, who both did condemn, and also wash his hands) who condemned him to the fire, in the which he was consumed in the said City of Saint Andrew's, about the time afore written. And to declare themselves to be the generation of Satan, who from the beginning hath been enemy to the Truth, and he that desireth the same to be hid from the knowledge of men, They put a ball of Brasse in his mouth, to the end he should not give Confession of his Faith to the people; neither yet that they should understand the defense which he had against their unjust accusation and condemnation. Both these godly men Resby and Craw, suffered Martyrdom for Christ his Truth, by Henry Ward-Law, Bishop of Saint Andrew's, whom the Prelates place amongst their Worthies▪

But that their wicked practice did not greatly advance their Kingdom of darkness, neither yet was it able utterly to extinguish the Truth; for albeit, that in the days of King James the second and third, we find small question of Religion moved within this Realm; yet in the time of King James the fourth, in the sixth year of his Reign, and in the twenty two year of his age, which was in the year of God 1494. were summoned before the King and his great Counsel, by Robert Blacater, called, Archbishop of Glasgow: The number of thirty persons remaining, some in Kyle St • wart, some in Kingstyle, and some in Cunninghame: Among whom were George Campbell of Cesnok, Adam Read of Barskyning, John Campbell of Newmyls, Andrew Schaw of Polkemac, Helene Chalmer, Lady Pokellie, Isabelle Chambers, Lady Stairs.

These were called the Lollards of Kyle, they were accused of the Articles following, as we have received them out of the Register of Glasgow.

• 1. First, • hat Images are not to be had in the Kyrk, nor to be worshipped.
• 2. That the Relics of Saints are not to be worshipped.
• 3. That Laws & Ordinances of men, vary from time to time, and that by the Pope.
• 4. That it is not lawful to fight for the Faith, nor to defend the Faith by the Sword, if we be not driven to it by necessity, which is above all Law.
• 5. That Christ gave power to Peter, as also to the other Apostles, and not to the Pope his pretended Successor, to bind and loose within the Kyrk.
• 6. That Christ ordained no Priests to consecrate as they do in the Romish Church, these many years.
• 7. That after the Consecration in the Mass, there remains Bread, and that there is not the natural Body of Christ.
• 8. That Tythes ought not to be given to Ecclesiastical men, as they were then called, to wit, wholly, but a part to the poor, widow, or orphans, & other pious uses.
• 9. That Christ at his coming hath taken away power from Kings to judge. This Article we doubt not to be the venomous accusation of the enemies, whose practice hath ever been to make the doctrine of Jesus Christ suspect to Kings and Rulers: As if God thereby would deprive them of their Royal Seats; While on the contrary nothing confirms the power of Magistrates more then doth God's Truth. But to the Articles.
• 10. That every faithful man and women is a Priest, in that sense that they are called by the Apostle Saint John, Apoc. 1.6.5.10.20.6.
• 11. That the Unction of Kings, ceased at the coming of Christ ; and truly it was but late since Kings were anointed, namely in Scotland, for Edgar was the first anointed King in Scotland, about the year 1100.
• 12. That the Pope is not the successor of Peter, but where he said, Go behind me Satan.
• 13. That the Pope deceives the people by his Bulls, and his Indulgences.
• 14. That the Mass profiteth not the souls, who in those days were said to be in Purgatory.
• 15. That the Pope and the Bishops deceive the people by their Pardons.
• 16. That Indulgences ought not to be granted to fight against the Saracens.
• 17. That the Pope exalts himself against God, and above God.
• 18. That the Pope cannot remit the pains of Purgatory.
• 19. That the blessings of the Bishops (of dumb Dogs they should have been styled) are of no value.
• 20. That the Excommunication of the Kyrk is not to be feared, if there be no true cause for it.
• 21. That in no case it is lawful to swear, to wit, idly, rashly, and in vain.
• 22. That Priests may have wives, according to the constitution of the Law, and of the Primitive Christian Church.
• 23. That true Christians receive the body of Jesus Christ every day by Faith.
• 24. That after Matrimony be contracted, and consummate; the Kyrk may make no Divorcement.
• 25. That Excommunication binds not, if unjust.
• 26. That the Pope forgives not sins, but only God.
• 27. That Faith should not be given to Miracles, to such namely as the Romish were then, and are to this day.
• 28. That we should not pray to the glorious Virgin Mary, but to God only, since he only hears us, and can help us.
• 29. That we are no more bound to pray in the Kyrk then in other places .
• 30. That we are not bound to believe all that Doctors of the Kirk have written.
• 31. That such as worship the Sacrament in the Kyrk (we suppose the Sacrament of the Altar) commits Idolatry.
• 32. That the Pope is the head of the Kirk of Antichrist.
• 33. That the Pope and his Ministers are murderers of souls.
• 34. That they which are called Princes and Prelates in the Church, are Thieves, and Robbers.

By these Articles which God of his merciful providence caused the enemies of his truth to keep in their registers, may appear how mercifully God hath looked upon this Realm, retaining within it some spark of his light, even in the time of greatest darkness. Neither ought any man to wonder, albeit that some things be obscurely, and some things doubtfully spoken. But rather ought all faithful to magnify God's mercy, who without public Doctrine gave so great light. And further, we ought to consider that seeing that the enemies of Jesus Christ gathered the foresaid Articles, thereupon to accuse the persons aforesaid, that they would deprave the meaning of God's servants so far as they could; as we doubt not but they have done, in the heads of Excommunication , Swearing , and of Matrimony : In the which it is no doubt but the servants of God did damn the abuse only, and not the right Ordinance of God: for who knows not that the Excommunication in these days was altogether abused? That Swearing aboundeth without punishment or remorse of conscience: And that Divorcements was made, for such causes as worldly men had invented. But to our History. Albeit that the accusation of the Bishop and of his Complices was very grievous, yet God so assisted his servants, partly by inclining the Kings heart to gentleness (for divers of them were his great familiars) and partly by giving bold and godly answers to their Accusators; that the enemies in the end we • e frustrate of their purpose. For while the Bishop in mockage said to Ad • m Read of Barskeiming; Read, believe ye that God is in heaven? He answered; Not as I do the Sacraments seven: Whereat the Bishop thinking to have triumphed, said; Sir, lo, he denies that God is in heaven? Whereat the King wondering, said; Adam Read! What say ye? The other answered; Pleaseth your Majesty to hear the end betwixt the churl and me: and therewith he turned to the Bishop and said; I neither think nor believe, as thou thinkest that God is in heaven; but I am most assured, that he is not only in heaven, but also in the earth: But thou and thy faction declare by your works, that either ye think there is no God at all, or else that he is so set up in heaven, that he regards not what is done upon the earth: for if thou firmly beleevedst that God were in the heaven, thou shouldest not make thyself check-mate to the King, and altogether forget the charge that Jesus Christ the Son of God gave to his Apostles, which was, To Preach his Gospel, and not to play the proud Prelates, as all the rabble of you do this day: And now, Sir, said he to the King, judge ye, whether the Bishop or I believe best that God is in heaven. While the Bishop and his band could not well revenge themselves, and while many taunts were given them in their teeth. The King willing to put an end to further reasoning, said to the said Adam Read ; Wilt thou burn thy bill? He answered; Sir, the Bishop and ye will. With these and the like scoffs, the Bishop and his band were so dashed out of countenance, that the greatest part of accusation was turned to laughter. After that Diet, we find almost no question for matters of Religion, the space near of thirty years; for not long after, to wit, in the year of God 1500. the said Bishop