Anent the accusatione laid to my Lord Argyll’s charge, touching the separation betwixt him and his wife; declared that he was not the occasione thereof. As to other offences whatsoever, wherthrough he hes been anywayes sclanderous to the Kirk, he was content to subject himself to the discipline of the Kirk at all tymes maist willinglie; and, therefore, the Kirk ordained the Superintendant of Argyle to take tryall of the saids sclanders committed be the said Earle, and thereafter to cause sic satisfaction be made, as God’s Law appoints, and to report the order thereof to the next Generall Assemblie of the Kirk, together with his own diligence in executione of his office of Superintendancie. Anent the marriage of the Queen with the Earle Bothwell, be Adam, called Bishop of Orkney; the haill Kirk finds that he transgressed the act of the Kirk in marrying the divorced adulterer; and, therefore, deprives him of all functione of the ministrie, conforme to the tenor of the act made thereupon, ay and whill the Kirk be satisfied of the sclander committit be him. The same day Mr John Craige was bruitit for proclaiming the bands betwixt the Queen and the Earle Bothwell; who answered be word, justifying his proceedings thereanent, and was ordained to give in his purgation in write, to the effect his good mynd and proceedings may be knowne to all and sundrie that hereafter would be satisfied thereanent. TENOR OF THE FORESAID PURGATIONE. To the end that all that feares God may understand my proceedings in this matter, I shall shortly declare what I did, and what moved me to defend the samen, leaving the finall judgement of all things to the Kirk. First, be the request of Mr Thomas Hepburne, in the Queen’s name, to proclame her with Lord Bothwell, I plainly refused, because he had not her hand wreit; and also the common bruit that my Lord had both ravished her and keeped her in captivitie. Upon Wednesday last the Justice Clerk brought me ane writing subscryved with her hand, bearing in effect that she was neither ravished nor yet retained in captivitie, and, therefore, charged me to proclaime. My answer was, I durst proclaime no bands, and chiefly such without consent and command of the Church. Upon Thursday next, the Kirk, after long reasoning with the Justice Clerk, and amongst the brethren, at length concluded that the Queen’s mynde should be published to her subjects thrie nixt preaching dayes: But, because the Generall Assembly had inhibited all sic marriages, we protested we would neither solemnize, naither yet approve that marriage, but would only declare the Prince’s mynde, leaveing all doubts and dangers to the counsellors, approvers, and allowers of that marriage: And so, upon Fryday thereafter, I declared the haill minde and progress of the Kirk, desyreing every man, in God’s name, to discharge his conscience before the Secret Councill; and to give boldness to uthers, I desyred of the Lords there present in tyme and place, to speak my