After our most hearty commendatione: We have receaved your writings. Understandand be the same your earnest travells and godly zeale in erecting of this our kirk within Scotland; according to our dewties and your Assembly to this effect, wherunto ye have desyred us, yet somethings having admiratione that ye should have assigned your Assembly, whereunto ye desyre the principall members of the haill kirk, without their owne advyce and consent. Having concurred with them of before alsweell anent the places of Assembly as in matters to be treated in the same, be reasone the brethren else assembled in Edinburgh are in armes, and as we understand, the rest that is to come there comes in the lyke manner, whilk is far by the use and customed manner we have seen before; and as it is not unknown unto you what varietie is presentlie in this realme, yet not doubting your intents and myndes to be only direct as ye have afore showen: Nottheless, because our brethren else assembled in Edinburgh are in armes, accompanied by men of weir, we not being participant with their proceeding, neither yet hes adjoyned ourselves thereintill, cannot at this tyme be present at the tyme appointed, according to your desyres; yet assuring you, likeas in tyme past we not only have bestowed our goods in the maintainance of God’s cause, but also has hazard our life and our friends, in the same state we mynde to continew; and since the impediment to our conveening, albeit willing to all godly proceedings, is for the causes after specified. In the mean tyme, we will earnestly request you that no novations nor alterations be made or attempted whill our meeting, whilk we trust in God shall be shortly, so that none of our brethren nor we in absence have occasion to mislyke any of your proceedings; because sic grave matters requires ane common consent alswell in their approveing as that they may the better be born with: for your awn wisdomes we doubt not will consider the factiones of our adversaries, that they will never allow our doings, and therefore it is more than necessar there be no diversitie of mindes amongst ourselves; yea, we will finde all matters frame the better if we be all present when they are concluded: So, not willing to impasche you with long letters, hes committed farther of our minde to this bearer your servitor, to whom please give credite; and so committs you to God. The 18th of Julii 1567. Your assured in the Lord, AR. ARGYLE. The tenor of the Commendators of Arbroath, Kilwinning, and my Lord Boyd’s excusations, agreeing in all poynts, follows:--