When the Queen heard what had happened, she was so enraged that she vowed utterly to destroy Perth, man, woman, and child, to consume the place by fire, and thereafter to salt it, in sign of a perpetual desolation. Suspecting nothing of such beastly cruelty, but thinking that such words might escape her in choler without forethought, because she was a woman set afire by the complaints of those hypocrites who flocked unto her as ravens to carrion, we returned to our own houses, leaving John Knox in Perth to instruct the people, because they were young and rude in Christ. But she continued in her rage, set afire partly by her own malice, partly by commandment of her friends in France, and not a little by the bribes which she and Monsieur D'Oysel received from the bishops and the priests here at home. [Sidenote: The Queen rages and stirs up the Nobility.] The Queen first sent for all the Nobility, and to them she complained that we meant nothing but a rebellion. She did grievously aggreage[133] the destruction of the Charter-house, because it was a King's foundation, and contained the tomb of King James the First. By these and other persuasions, she made the majority of them consent to attack us. And then in haste she sent for her Frenchmen; for it was ever her joy to see Scotsmen dipped in one another's blood. No man was at that time more frack against us than was the Duke, led on by that cruel beast, the Archbishop of St. Andrews, and by those that yet abuse him, the Abbot of Kilwinning and Matthew Hamilton of Millburn, two chief enemies to Christ Jesus; yea, enemies to the Duke himself and to his whole house, in so far as at least they may procure their own particular profit. These and such other pestilent papists ceased not to cast faggots on the fire, continually crying, "Forward upon these heretics; we shall for once and all rid this realm of them." [133] Aggravate. Hearing of this, some of us repaired to Perth again about the twenty-second day of May, and there we did abide for the comfort of our brethren. After invocation of the name of God, we began so to fortify the town and ourselves in the manner that we thought might prove best for our just defence. And, because we were not utterly despaired of the Queen's favour, we drew up a letter to her Grace, as followeth:--