Church of Scotland; Knox, John, approximately 1514-1572; Reformation -- Scotland; Theology -- Early works to 1800
These cruell and conjured ennemyes of God, and of all godlynes, the
Duck of Gwyse, the Cardinall of Lorane, and thair factioun, who then
at thair awin appetite plaide the tyrantis in France, had determined
the destructioun[289] of all that professed the trew knowledge of
Jesus Christ within that Realme. What tyranny laite befoir thei had
used at Amboyse, the historie of France doth witness. Now, in
Orleance, in the moneth of November, conveyned the King, unhappie
Francis, the Quene oure Soverane, and the Quene Mother, the Duck of
Gweise, with all his factioun, the King of Navar, and the Prince his
brother.[290] So that great was the confluence of the Nobilitie; but
greater was the assemblie of the murtheraris; for thair was nott a
hangman in all France whiche was nott thair. The preasonis ware full
of the trew servandis of God: the King of Navar and the Prince war
constitut preasonaris. The Schereff of Orleance, a man fearing God,
was tackin, and so war many otheris of the toune. Breiflie, thair was
none that professed God or godlyness within that toune, that looked
nott for the extreamitie; for the walles and yettis war nycht and day
keapt with tha garnysonis of the Gwysianes: miserable men war dalie
browght in to suffer judgement, but none was suffered to departe furth
butt at the devotioun of the tyrantis. And so thei proceided till the
tent or twelft[291] of December, when that thei thowght tyme to putt
thair bloody counsall in executioun, and for that purpoise conclusioun
was tackin that the King should departe of the toune, and lye at a
certane place; whiche was done to this intent, that thair should no
suyte be maid to the King for the saiftie of any manis lyfe, whome
thei thowght worthy of death. And so was the Kingis house in Orleance
broken up, his beddis, cofferis, and tapistree sent away; his awin
buttis putt on, he sitting at the Messe, immediatlie thairafter to
have departed, and so thair tyrannie to have begune,--when all
thingis, we say, war into this readdyness to sched the bloode of
innocentis, the Eternall, our God, who ever watches for the
preservatioun of his awin, begane to work, and suddandlie did put his
awin werk in executioun. For as the said King satt at Messe, he was
suddandlie strikkin with ane aposthume, in that deaf eare that never
wald hear the treuth of God; and so was he caryed to ane void house,
layd upoun a palliase unto suche tyme as a cannabie was sett up unto
him; whair he lay till the fyftene day of December, in the year of God
J^m V^c threscoir yearis,[292] when his glorie perished, and the pryde
of the stubburne heart evanished in smok. And so was the snare brokin,
the tyrantis disappoynted of thair crueltye; those that war appointed
to death rased, as it war out of thair graves; and we, who by our
foolischnes had maid our selves slaves to strangearis, war restored
agane to freedome and libertie of a free Realme.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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