The History of the Reformation of Religion in Scotland: With Which Are Included Knox's Confession and The Book of DisciplineKnox, John
History
The History of the Reformation of Religion in Scotland: With Which Are Included Knox's Confession and The Book of Discipline
Knox, John
Reformation -- Scotland; Scotland -- Church history
On the twenty-ninth of May the Queen, the Duke, Monsieur D'Oysel,
and the Frenchmen entered Perth.... The swarm of Papists that
entered with her began at once to make provision for their Mass....
The Queen began to rage against all godly and honest men; their
houses were oppressed by the Frenchmen; the lawful magistrates,
Provost as well as Bailies, were unjustly and irregularly deposed
from their authority. A wicked man, void of God's fear, and
destitute of all virtue, the Laird of Kinfauns, was intrused by her
as Provost of the town.... She gave order that four ensenyes[134] of
the soldiers should abide in the town, to maintain idolatry and to
resist the Congregation. Honest and indifferent men asked why she
did so manifestly violate her promise. She answered that she was
bound to keep no promise to heretics; and, moreover, that she had
only promised to leave the town free of French soldiers. This last
she said she had done, because those that were left were Scotsmen.
When it was reasoned, to the contrary, that all those who took wages
of France were accounted French soldiers, she answered, "Princes
must not so straitly be bound to keep their promises. Myself," said
she, "would make little conscience to take from all that sort their
lives and inheritance, if I might do it with as honest an excuse."
And then she left the town in extreme bondage, after her ungodly
Frenchmen had most cruelly treated the majority of the citizens that
remained.
[134] Companies.
[Sidenote: The Earl of Argyll abandons the Regent, and declines to
return.]
The Earl of Argyll, and Lord James, perceiving in the Queen nothing
but mere tyranny and falsehood, and mindful of their former promises
to their brethren, secretly conveyed themselves and their companies
from the town. With them departed the Lord Ruthven, the Earl of
Menteith, and the Laird of Tullibardine.... The Queen, highly
offended at the sudden departure of these persons, charged them to
return, under the highest pain of her displeasure. But they answered
that they could not, with safe conscience, be partakers in so
manifest tyranny as that committed by her, and in the great iniquity
which they perceived to be devised by her and her ungodly Council,
the prelates. This answer was given to her on the first day of
June, and immediately the Earl of Argyll and Lord James repaired
toward St. Andrews, and in their journey intimated to the Laird of
Dun, to the Laird of Pittarrow, to the Provost of Dundee, and to
other professors in Angus, their desire that they should visit them
in St. Andrews on the fourth of June, that Reformation might be made
there. This they did, bringing John Knox in their company.
[Sidenote: The Archbishop of St. Andrews interdicts Knox from
preaching.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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