The Works of John Knox Volume II Part 55

[1035] In MSS. G, and L 3, "the leprosie was espyed."

"And yit," said Lethingtoun, "I can nocht tell what can be concludit."

"Albeit ye can nocht," said the uther, "yit I am a.s.sureit what I haif provin, to wit:--

"1. That subjectis haif delyverit ane innocent frome the handis of thair King, and thairintill offendit nocht G.o.d.

"2. That subjectis haif refuseit to stryke innocentis whan ane King commandit, and in so doing denyit no just obedience.

"3. That sik as struck at the commandiment of the King befoir G.o.d wer reputed murtheraris.

"4. That G.o.d hes nocht onlie of ane subject maid ane King, but also hes airmit subjectis aganis thair naturall Kings, and commandit thame to tak vengence upoun thame according to his law.

"And, last, That G.o.dis pepill hes execut.i.t G.o.dis law aganis thair King, having no farther regaird to him in that behalf, than gif he had bene the moist simpill subject within this Realme.

"And thairfoir, albeit ye will not understand what sould be concludeit, yit I am[1036] a.s.sureit that nocht onlie G.o.ddis pepill [may], but also, that thai ar bounde to do the same whair the lyke crymes ar committ.i.t, and when he gevis unto thame the lyke power."

[1036] In MS. G, "I am not."

"Weill," said Lethingtoun, "I think ye sall nocht haif monie leirnit men of your oppinioun."

"My Lord," said the uther, "the treuthe ceisses nocht to be the treuthe, howsoevir it be that men [either] misknaw it, or yit ganestand it. And yit, (said he,) I praise my G.o.d, I lack nocht the consent of G.o.dis servandis in that heid." And with that he present.i.t unto the Secretour the Apologie of Magdeburgh;[1037] and willit him to reid the names of the Mynisteris who had subscribed the defence of the Toune to be ane moist juste defence; and thairwith addit, "That to resist ane tyrant, is not to resist G.o.d, nor yit his ordinance."

[1037] Magdeburg, in the province of Saxony, is a town of ancient date, and of importance from its situation. It was involved in disputes with Austria, on account of the protection which it granted to Lutheranism. This drew upon it the ban of the Empire, followed by a siege in 1550, which endured for twelve months; but a treaty was concluded in 1551, without the Magdeburgers being betrayed into any mean submission to the Emperor. (See Robertson's Charles V., Book x.)

Whilk when he had read, he scripped and said, "_Homines obscuri_."[1038] The uther ansuerit, "_Dei tamen servi_."[1039]

[1038] That is, "Men of no note."

[1039] That is, "Servants of G.o.d however."

And [so] Lethingtoun arose and said, "My Lordis, ye haif hard the ressounis upoun boith pairteis: it bec.u.mis you now to decyde, and [to]

put ane ordour unto preicheouris, that thay may be uniforme in doctrine. May we, think ye, tak the Queenis Messe frome hir?"

Whille that sum began to geif thair voittis, for sum wer appoynt.i.t, as it wer, leaderis to the rest, Johne Knox said, "My Lordis, I suppois that ye will nocht [do] contrair to your [Lordships] promeis, maid to the whole a.s.semblie, whilk wes, That nothing soulde be voited in secreit, till that the first all maitteris soulde be debaitt.i.t in publict, and that than the voittis of the whole a.s.semblie sould put an end to the controversie. Now haif I onelie sustenit the argument, and haif rather schawin my conscience in moist simpill maner, than that I haif insyst.i.t upoun the force and vehemence of onie ane argument: And thairfoir I, for my pairt, utterlie disa.s.sent frome all voitting, till that the whole a.s.semblie haif hard the propositiounis and the ressounis of boith pairteis. For I unfeinyeitlie acknawlege, that monie in this c.u.mpanie ar moir abill to sustene the argument than I am."

"Think ye it reasonable," said Lethingtoun, "that sik ane mult.i.tude [as] ar now convenit, soulde ressoune and voit in these heidis and matteris that concerne the Quenis Majesties awin persoune and effairis?"

"I think," said the uther, "that whatsoevir soulde bind, the mult.i.tude soulde heir, unless that thai haif resignit thair power unto thair Commissioneris, whilk thai haif nocht done, sua far as I understand; for my Lord Justice-Clark heard thame with ane voice say, That in no wayis wald thai consent that onie thing soulde ether here be voited or concludit."

"I can nocht tell," said Lethingtoun, "[if] that my Lordis that be heir present, and that beir the burding of sik maitteris, soulde be bounde to thair will. What say ye, (said he,) my Lordis? Will ye voit in this maitter, or will ye nocht voit?"

Efter lang ressonyng, sum that wer maid for the purpois said, "Why may nocht the Lordis voit, and than schaw unto the Kirk whatsoevir is done?"

"That appeiris to me," said Johne Knox, "nocht onlie ane backwart ordour, but also ane tyrranie usurpeit upoun the Kirk: But for me, do as ye list, (said he,) for as I ressoune, so I voit; yit protesting as befoir, that I dissent frome all voiting, till that the hoill a.s.semblie understand alsweill the questiounis as the ressonyngis."

"Weill," said Lethingtoun, "that can nocht be done now, for the tyme is spent; and thairfoir, my Lorde Chanceler, (said he,) ask ye the voittis, and tak [be course] everie ane of the Mynisteris, and ane of us."

[Sidenote: MR. JOHNE DOUGLAS RECTOUR.]

And so wes the Rectour of Sanctandrois[1040] commanded first to speik his conscience; who said, "I reffer, to the Superintendant of Fyffe, for I think we ar boith in one jugement; and yit, (said he,) gif ye will that I speik first, my conscience is this, That gif the Quene oppone hir self to oure religioun, whilk is the onelie trew religioun, that in that caise the n.o.billitie and Estaitis of this Realme, professouris[1041] of the trew doctrine, may justlie oppone thame selffis unto hir. But as concernyng hir awin Messe, I knaw it is idolatrie, but yit I am nocht yit resolved, whidder that be violence we may tack it frome hir or nocht." The Superintendant of Fyffe[1042]

said, "That same is my conscience." And so affirmit sum of the n.o.billitie. But utheris voitted frankley, and said, "That as the Messe wes abominatioun, so wes it juste and rycht that it soulde be suppressit;[1043] and that in so doing, men did no moir wrong to the Quenis Majestie than thay that soulde be force tak frome hir ane poysonit coupe when sehe wes going to drink it."

[1040] At page 286 of the former volume, a brief notice of Douglas is given, in order to show that he must be distinguished from John Douglas, a Carmalite Friar, who, forsaking his order, became in 1558, Chaplain to the Earl of Argyle. As stated in the note referred to, Mr.

John Douglas was elected Provost of St. Mary's College, St. Andrews, in 1547. He was also elected for a long series of years Rector of the University; and having embraced the Reformed opinions, he still continued his residence at St. Andrews, retaining his situation as Provost of the College. In 1571, when "an auld feeble man," by "compromise with the Earl of Morton, he was nominated to the See of St. Andrews: Knox having refused to inaugurate him, the ceremony was performed by Mr. John Wynrame. (M'Crie's Life of Knox.) According to his Confirmed Testament, 29th January 1574-5, "Johne Archbishop of Sanctandrois, &c. died in (blank) 1574;" and it shows that his nominal dignity had not enriched him. The Summa of his Inventar amounted only to 280, 4s. 4d., and this included "Item, his L[ordship's] liberall [library] of bukis, extending to ane hundreth pundis."

[1041] In MS. G, "that have professit."

[1042] Mr. John Wynrame. See note in vol. i. p. 150. As Sub-prior of St. Andrews, he sat as one of the Judges at the trials of Sir John Borthwick in 1540, of George Wishart in 1546, and of Walter Myln in 1550. In 1549, at the Provincial Council held at Edinburgh, he is styled "M. Johannes Wynrame Ecclesiae Metrop. Primitialis S. Andreae, Canonicus Regularis, et Supprior, Theologiae Doctor." He survived till the year 1582, when he died at the advanced age of ninety.

[1043] In MSS. G, and L 4, "repressed."

[Sidenote: MR. JOHN CRAIG.]

At last, Mr. Johne Craig,[1044] fellow-minister with Johne Knox in the Kirk of Edinburgh, wes requyreit to gif his jugement and vote, who said, "I will glaidlie schaw unto your Honouris what I understand; but I gritlie doubt whidder my knawlege and conscience sall satisfy you, seing that ye haif heard so monie ressounis and ar so lyttil moved be thame. But yit I sall nocht conceill from you my jugement, adhering first to the protestatioun of my Brother, to wit, That our voitting prejudge nocht the lybertie of the Generall a.s.sembly. I wes, (said he,) in the Universitie of Bononia,[1045] in the yeir of G.o.d 1554,[1046] whair, in the place of the Blak-Freiris of the same toune, I saw in the tyme of thair Generall a.s.semblie this Conclusioun set furth: This same I hard ressoned, determined, and concludit:--

[1044] Mr. John Craig was born in 1512, became a Dominican Friar, and narrowly escaped from a sentence of the Inquisition at Rome, which had condemned him to the flames as a heretic in 1559. He at length succeeded in reaching Scotland. He was minister of the Canongate for a short time, before he was appointed Knox's colleague. He was translated from Edinburgh to New Aberdeen before 1574; but was brought back as King's Minister in July 1580. He survived till the year 1600, and died at the advanced age of eighty-eight. (M'Crie's Life of Knox, vol. ii. p. 53-57; Wodrow Miscellany, vol. i. p. 455.)

[1045] The Latin name of Bologna.

[1046] So also in MS. L 3; but in MS. A i, the date is "1550;" in MSS.

L 4, and M, "1553." MS. G, makes it "1562"--an obvious mistake, as Craig returned to Scotland in 1560, and is not known to have left it at any subsequent period.

CONCLUSIO.

"PRINCIPES omnes, tam supremi, quam inferiores, possunt et debent reformari, vel deponi per eos, per quos eliguntur, confirmantur, vel admittuntur ad officium, quoties a fide praest.i.ta subditis per juramentum deficiunt: Quoniam relatio juramenti subditorum et principum mutua est, et utrinque aequo jure servanda et reformanda, juxta legem et conditionem juramenti ab utraque parte facti."

"That is, All Reuleris, be thay supreame or be thay inferiour, may and aucht to be reformed or deposed be thame be whom thay ar chosin, confirmed, or admitted to thair office, as oft as thay brak that promeis maid be the oath to thair subjectis: Because that thair Prince is no less bound be oath to the subjectis, then is the subjectis to thair Princeis, and thairfoir aucht to be keipit and reformed equallie, according to the law and conditioun of the oath that is maid of other partie."

"This Conclusioun, my Lordis, I heard sustenit and concludit, as I haif said, in ane moist notabill auditour. The sustenar wes ane leirnit man, M. Thomas de Finola, the Rectour of the Universitie, ane man famous in that c.u.n.trie. Magister Vincentius de Placentia, affirmed the Conclusioun to be moist true and certane, agreable boith with the law of G.o.d and man. The occasioun of this Disputatioun and Conclusioun, wes ane certene disordour and tyrranie that wes attempit be the Paipes Governouris, who began to mak innovationis in the c.u.n.trie aganis the lawis that wer befoir establischit, alledging thame selfis nocht to be subject to sik lawis, be ressoune that thay wer nocht inst.i.tute be the peopill, but be the Paip, who wes King of that c.u.n.trie; and, thairfoir thay, haifing full commissioun and authoritie of the Paip, mycht alter and change statuteis and ordinanceis of the c.u.n.trie, without all consent of the peopill. Aganis this [thair]

usurped tyrranie, the leirnit and the peopill opponcit thame selffis opinlie: and when that all ressounis whilk the Paipis governouris could allege wer heard and confuted, the Paip him self wes fane to tak up the maitter, and to promeis to keip nocht onlie the lybertie of the peopill, but also that he sould neither abrogat[1047] onie law [or]

statute, neither yit mak onie new law without thair awin consent. And, thairfoir, my Lord, (said he,) my vote and consience is, that Princes ar nocht onlie bound to keip lawis and promeisses to thair subjectis, but also, that in caise thai faill, thay justlie may be deposeit; for the band betwix the Prince and the Peopill is reciproce."

[1047] In MS. 1566, "haif brocht."

Then start [up] ane claw-back of that corrupt Court, and said, "Ye wat nocht what ye say; for ye tell us what wes done in Bononia; we ar ane kingdome, and thai ar but ane Commounwelth."

"My Lord," said he, "my jugement is, that everie kingdom is, or at leist, sould be ane Commounwelth, albeit that everie Commounwelth be nocht ane kingdom; and, thairfoir, I think, that in ane kingdom no less dylligence aucht to be taikin, that lawis be nocht violat.i.t, than is [in] ane Commounwelth; because that the tyrranie of Princeis who continwallie ring[1048] in ane kingdom, is moir hurtfull to the subjectis, than is the misgovernment of those that from yeir to yeir ar chaingit in fre Commounwelthis. But yit, my Lordis, to a.s.sure you and all utheris farder, that heid wes disputed be the utermoist; and than, in the end, it was concludit,[1049] that thay spak nocht of sik thingis as wer done in diverse kingdomis and natiounis be tyrranie and negligence of peopill. 'But we conclude,' said thai, 'what aucht to be done in all Kingdomis and Commounwelthis, according to the law of G.o.d, and unto the just lawis of man. And gif be the negligence of the peopill, or be tyrranie of Princes, contrair lawis haif bene maid, yit may that same peopill, or thair posteritie, justlie craif all thingis to be reformed,[1050] according to the originall inst.i.tutioun of Kingis and Commounwelthis: and sik as will nocht [do] so, deserve to eit the frute of thair awin folischnes.'"

[1048] In MS. 1566, "who continewing."

[1049] In MSS. 1566, and L 3, "nocht concluded."

[1050] In MS. 1566, "ressonit."

Maister James Makgill,[1051] than Clark of Register, persaifing the voittis to be different, and heiring the bauld plainess of the foirsaid servand of G.o.d, said, "I remember that this same questioun wes lang debaitt.i.t aneis befoir this in my house, and thair, be ressoune that we wer nocht all of ane mynd, it wes concludit, that Mr.

Knox sould in all our names haif writtin to Mr. Calvin for his jugement in the contraversie."

[1051] Some notices respecting Mackgill, who was appointed Clerk Register in 1554, are given at page 156. From the Treasurer's Accounts it appears his salary was only 20 merks, or 13, 6s. 8d.