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BETH.

thus, by indulging her passion, by straining her honour, and ELIZAdiscovering her disaffection, she lost her interest, and made her authority little considered.

Hist. Ref.

of Scotland,

p. 151.

covenant at

The congregation, suspecting the queen might forget the capitulation, renewed the covenant or confederacy at Perth. And here the congregations of Fife, Perth, Dundee, Angus, Mearns, and Montrose, entered into a solemn engagement to assist each other, in "doing all things required of God in his The second Scripture, that may be to his glory; and, with their whole Perth. powers, to destroy and put away all things that do dishonour to his name: so that God may be truly and purely worshipped." And, in case any person of the congregation should receive any trouble or damage in prosecuting the business abovementioned, that then the whole body should stand by him with their lives and fortunes, against all persons whatsoever, that should disturb them in the exercise of religion, or anything relating to that affair. This "Second Covenant," as they call it, is, in the name of the whole congregation, subscribed by two earls, the prior of St. Andrew's, two lords, and a Ibid. gentleman of condition.

preaches up

The queen failing in the articles, the earl of Argyle and lord James left her, and went over to the congregation; and June 14. now, things growing towards a rupture, there was a rendezvous of the party appointed at St. Andrew's. In the mean time, some of the principal noblemen went to Craile, where they were joined with considerable numbers. And here Knox played his rhetoric in the pulpit, and endeavoured to raise their spirits for a contest with the government. He put them in mind how he had told them at Perth, "that there was no Knox clear dealing to be expected from the queen, and that the resistance treaty would not be made good; that, since this prediction was against the government now matter of fact, he exhorted them not to rely upon delusive in defence of religion. promises any longer; that, where there was no regard to good faith, it was in vain to expect any solid peace; that, till the foreigners were expelled the kingdom, and one of the parties had crushed the other, there was no likelihood of public repose; that there was nothing, therefore, left but to prepare for extremities, to exert themselves like men, and resolve either to die or conquer."

This discourse worked so strongly upon the audience, that they fell immediately to pulling down altars and images, and

VOL. VI.

U

Spotswood.

457.

June 13, 1559.

Idem.

proceeding with their reformation in the same tumultuous manner they had done before. From Craile they marched to Anstruther, and from thence to St. Andrew's. Here Knox mounted the pulpit; and, preaching upon the text of our Saviour's purging the temple, he applied the corruption in the Jewish Church to the present case; and from thence went on to dilate upon the duty of those to whom God had given authority; taking it for granted, that those who headed the congregation were a legal magistracy, and had their commission from heaven. And thus, by begging the question, and arguing from false premises, the conclusion passed. The people, being thus prepared and preached into a ferment, immediately took the signal, ravaged the churches, levelled the monasteries, and, in short, reformed like the Goths and Vandals at the sacking of Rome.

The queen-regent, receiving advice of what was done, ordered the French troops to march towards St. Andrew's, and issued her proclamation to her liege subjects to equip themselves for the field, and attend her at Cowpar.

The lords of the congregation endeavoured to seize some passes, and prevent the regent in her rendezvous. And now the two armies faced each other at Cowpar-moor, and nothing but a small river was between. The French part of the regent's army was commanded by monsieur D'Osell, and her Scotch troops by the duke of Chatelherault. The queen, distrusting the affection of her forces, offered a peace, but that being not accepted upon the conditions proposed, a truce was agreed to for eight days, during which time, commissioners were to be sent to St. Andrew's with sufficient powers for a full accommodation. The queen not sending the commissioners to St. Andrew's within the time expected, she was desired to withdraw the garrison from Perth, pursuant to the late treaty; but returning no answer to the lords of the congregation, they sat down before the town and obliged the garrison to surrender. From hence they advanced to Scone, demolished the monastery, and burnt the church. And receiving intelligence the queen intended to put a French garrison in Stirling, to secure that pass, and cut off their communication with their friends in the southern parts, they made a night-march thither; and here, according to their customary zeal, they razed the monasteries, and defaced the churches. From thence they

BETH.

moved forward to Linlithgow, which they entertained with the ELIZAsame usage. From Linlithgow they came on Edinburgh; but before they arrived there, the reforming mob rose upon the magistracy, plundered all the monasteries, and then pulled them down.

The queen-regent, being too weak to arrest this motion, published a proclamation to this effect:

clamation.

She declares, "that a seditious party of the lieges, calling The queenthemselves the congregation, had raised an army, and covered regent's protheir proceedings with religion; that to make all people easy in matters of conscience, and to compose the present differences, she had offered to call a parliament in January next, or sooner; that their religion was to be settled by the advice of the estates; and that, in the mean time, every one had the liberty of enjoying his persuasion. That these overtures were granted by the advice of the lords of the privy council. But that all this lenity and these fair proposals had been disregarded by the congregation. It was plain, therefore, religion was none of their business; but that subverting the government, and seizing the crown, was what they aimed at. She commands, therefore, the congregation to live like subjects, and disperse immediately, under the penalties of high treason."

of the con

Against this charge in the proclamation, the lords of the congregation make a lame defence. They declare their inten- The defence tion was only to extirpate idolatry, countenance the true reli- of the lords gion, and protect those that preached it; and that, provided gregation. liberty of conscience was allowed them, they were ready to continue in all duty towards their sovereign, and her mother, the regent. That is, in other language, unless they could pull down monasteries, disfurnish churches, and set up what reli- Idem. gion they pleased, and enjoy it without disturbance, they were resolved to take the field, and defy the government. But here it is somewhat surprising that Knox, and the other preachers who insisted so much upon Scripture, should forget to put their audience in mind of the apostle's command, "Let every Rom. xiii. soul be subject to the higher powers, for there is no power but of God; whosoever, therefore, resists the power, resists the ordinance of God; and they that resist, shall receive to them- The methods selves damnation." And as for the pretence of extirpating of their reidolatry, what precedent have they in Scripture that this was formation ever done by the Jewish mob, or by any other direction than alle.

unwarrant

that of the supreme magistrate? The brazen serpent stood, the groves were not cut down, nor the idols destroyed, till the 1 Kings xxv. kings gave order about it. Besides, how criminal soever the

2 Kings

xxiii.

Another treaty concluded.

worship of images, and the adoration of the host may be, it certainly falls far short of the malignity of the Pagan idolatry ; for the heathens addressed scandalous beings, and worshipped devils; their religious rites were savage and licentious, they sacrificed their children to their pretended deities, and impurity and debauch were part of their religion. Now, since nothing of this kind can be objected to the Papists, they ought not to be blackened beyond equity and truth, ranged with heathen idolators, and made as bad as the Canaanites in the Old Testament.

To proceed not long after the lords' defence, a truce was concluded upon these articles.

"First, That all the forces of the congregation should immediately quit Edinburgh; but as to the burghers, they might either stay or remove at pleasure.

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Secondly, That the congregation shall surrender the palace of Edinburgh, restore the furniture, and return the mint into the queen's hand.

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Thirdly, That the lords, and all other members of the congregation, should live in obedience to the government, and submit to the regent's authority.

"Fourthly, That the congregation should not distress any of the clergy, in their persons or estates.

"Fifthly, That the congregation should not insult any religious houses, pull down churches, nor rifle them.

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Sixthly, That the burghers of Edinburgh should profess what religion they pleased till the 10th of January next.

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Seventhly, And that, in the mean time, neither the queenregent, the magistracy, nor the bishops, were to give any manner of disturbance to the preachers, or to their audience, Spotswood. upon the score of religion."

Lesley.

After the signing these articles, the French troops marched into Leith, and the lords of the congregation retired towards the western counties.

The queen-regent, though inclined to make good the treaty, was willing to re-establish the Catholic worship as far as the case would bear. To this purpose she sent the duke of Chatelherault, the earl of Huntley, and lord Seton, to acquaint the

BETH.

magistracy and common council of Edinburgh, that she de- ELIZAsired St. Giles's church for the exercise of her religion, and that the minister, John Willock, might preach in some other parish. The magistrates answered, that St. Giles's church was secured them by an article in the truce, and that they could not part with it: the earl of Huntley replied, that the queen did not insist on this matter as a right, but requested it as a favour. And then going lower in his application, he desired, that if they would not quit the pulpit at St. Giles's, they would permit, at least, that mass might be said, either before or after sermon in that church. Their answer was, they were now in possession of that church, and would never con- The queensent to the return of idolatry: concluding with a menacing fused St. expression, that in case any violence was offered, they would Giles'sapply to the next remedy.

458.

regent re

church Edinburgh, for the exercise of her religion.

Common

The French officers thought the magistrates of Edinburgh much too stiff and uncourtly with the queen: and being resolved to take some revenge for this affront, they came into St. Giles's in sermon time, and talked so loud that the preacher could not be heard. The behaviour of these foreign troops was no less disagreeable at Leith, for here they cut the preacher's pulpit in pieces, set up the mass, and suppressed the reformed Common Prayer. This Common Prayer, as the The English learned Heylin observes, was the service used in England. Prayer used For the Scots, to recommend themselves to queen Elizabeth's in Scotland. protection, had received the English Liturgy with the rubric annexed; and for some time the Kirk of Scotland used no other form. Heylin's Hist. ReAbout this time, monsieur Crook, a French gentleman, was form. p. 127. dispatched from the king and queen of France, to acquaint the Idem. Reregent that a farther supply of men and money would quickly Justified. arrive. By the way, Henry II. king of France, being lately Preface. killed at tilting, he was succeeded by his son Francis, who Hist. Scot. married the queen of Scots. The agent, Crook, brought lib. 19. letters from these two princes to lord James, prior of St. Andrew's. I shall only mention that from the queen.

"COUSIN,

formation

General

Buchanan,

The queen of Scots letter

James.

"I am extremely surprised that a person so nearly related, to the lord and so much obliged, should discover such ill-temper and presumption as at the same time to dishonour the Divine Majesty,

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