of tyme, and multitude of cairis, will not lat me wryt at this present sa plentifullie as I wald. Ye will me to charge you in suche thingis as I mister, God grant that ye may be abill to relief the nedie. Ye may be sure that I wald be bold upon you, for of your gude hart I am persuadit, but of your power and abilitie I greitlie dout. I will not mak you privie how ryche I am, but off Loundoun I departit with les money then ten grottis, but God hes sence provydit, and will provyd I dout not, heirefter abundantlie for this lyfe. Ather the quenis majestie, or sum thesaurer will be XL pounds rycher by me for samekill lack I of dewtie of my patentis. But that litill trubillis me. Rest in Chryst Jesus, your sone, 1553. Johne Knox. * * * * * Nº IV. [MS. Letters, p. 303.] To his mother‑in‑law, Mrs Bowis. Blissit be thais that mourne for ryghteousnes sake, &c. Belovit mother with my hartlie commendatioun in the Lord. Let not your present dulnes discorage yow above measure: the wisdome of our God knawis what is maist expedient for our fraill nature, gif the bodie suld alwayis be in travell, it suld faynt and be unabill to continew in labour, the spreit hes his travell, whilk is a sobbing and murnyng for syn, fra whilk unles it sumtymes suld rest, it suddanlie suld be consumit. It doith na mair offend Godis maiestie that the spreit sumtyme lye as it were asleip, nether hauing sence of greit dolour nor greit comfort, mair than it doith offend him that the bodie use the natural rest, ceassing fra all externall exercis. Ye sall consider, mother, that the eis of God dois pers mair deiplie than {384} we be war of; we, according to the blind ignorance whilk lurketh within ws, do judge but as we do feil for the present, but hie, according to his eternall wisdome, dois judge thingis lang befoir thay cum to pas. We judge that caldnes and angusche of spreit ar hurtfull, becaus we sie not the end whairfoir God dois suffer ws to be trubillit with sic temptationis; but his maiestie, wha onlie knawis the mass whairof man is maid, and causeth all thingis to work to the profit of his elect, knawis also how necessarie sic trubillis ar to dantoun the pryd of oure corrupt nature. Thair is a spirituall pryd whilk is not haistelie suppressit in Godis verie elect children, as witnesses sanct paule. God hath wroth greit thingis be yow in the syght of uthir men, with whilk (unless the mell of inward angusche did beat them doun) ye myght be steirit up to sum vane glorie, whilk is a vennoume mair subtil than ony man do espy. I can wryt to you be my awn experience. I have sumtymes bene in that securitie that I felt not dolour for syn, nether yit displeasure aganis myself for any iniquitie in whilk I did offend; but rather my vane hart did this flatter myself, (I wryt the treuth