Biographia Scoticana (Scots Worthies): A Brief Historical Account of the Lives, Characters, and Memorable Transactions of the Most Eminent Scots WorthiesHowie, John
History
Biographia Scoticana (Scots Worthies): A Brief Historical Account of the Lives, Characters, and Memorable Transactions of the Most Eminent Scots Worthies
Howie, John
Church of Scotland -- Biography; Scotland -- Biography
Being at Edinburgh, before the assembly there, at which the king wanted
to bring in some innovation, and meeting with Mr. James Melvil, who was
sent for by the king, he accompanied him to Holyrood-house. While Mr.
Melvil was with the king, Mr. Row stood behind a screen, and not getting
an opportunity to go out with his brother undiscovered, he overheard the
king say to some of his courtiers, "This is a good simple man, I have
stroked cream on his mouth, and he will procure me a good number of
voters, I warrant you." This said, Mr. Row got off, and overtaking Mr.
Melvil, asked him, what had passed? Mr. Melvil told him all, and said,
The king is well disposed to the church, and intend to do her good by
all his schemes. Mr. Row replied, The king looks upon you as a fool and
a knave, and wants to use you us a coy duck to draw in others, and told
him what he had overheard. Mr. Melvil suspecting the truth of this
report, Mr. Row offered to go with him, and avouch it to the king's
face; accordingly, they went back to the palace, when Mr. Melvil seeing
Mr. Row as forward to go in as he was, believed his report and stopped
him: And next day, when the assembly proceeded to voting, Mr. Melvil
having voted against what the king proponed, his majesty would not
believe that such was his vote, till he, being asked again, did repeat
it.
Again, he being to open the synod of Perth, _anno_ 1607, to which King
James sent Lord Scoon captain of his guards, to force them to accept a
constant moderator, Scoon sent notice to Mr. Row, That if, in his
preaching, he uttered ought against constant moderators, he should
cause ten or twelve of his guards discharge their culverins at his nose;
and when he attended the sermon which preceded that synod, he stood up
in a menacing posture to outbrave the preacher. But Mr. Row no way
dismayed, knowing what vices Scoon was chargeable with, particularly
that he was a great belly-god, drew his picture so like the life, and
condemned what was culpable in it with so much severity, that Scoon
thought fit to sit down, and even to cover his face. After which Mr. Row
proceeded to prove that no constant moderator ought to be suffered in
the church, but knowing that Scoon understood neither Latin nor Greek,
he wisely avoided naming the constant moderator in English, but always
gave the Greek or Latin name for it. Sermon being ended, Scoon said to
some of the nobles attending him, You see I have scared the preacher
from meddling with the constant moderator, but I wonder who he spoke so
much against by the name of _præstes ad vitam_. They told him, That it
was in Greek and Latin the constant moderator; which so incensed him,
that when Mr. Row proceeded to constitute the synod in the name of our
Lord Jesus Christ, Scoon said, The devil a Jesus is here, and when Mr.
Row called over the roll to choose their moderator after the ancient
form, Scoon would have pulled it from him; but he, being a strong man,
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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