The Works of John Knox Volume I Part 37

No. XVI.

PROVINCIAL COUNCILS IN SCOTLAND, IN 1549-1559.

Respecting the Meetings of the Provincial Councils in Scotland before the Reformation, it may be sufficient in this place to refer to the well known tract by Sir David Dalrymple, Lord Hailes, ent.i.tled "Historical Memorials concerning the Provincial Councils of the Scottish Clergy, from the earliest accounts to the area of the Reformation." Edinb. 1769, 4to. It is reprinted in the 3d edition of his Annals of Scotland, vol.

iii. pp. 221-271, Edinb. 1819, 3 vols. 8vo. The reader may also consult with advantage, Dr. M'Crie's Life of Knox, vol. i. pp. 163, 166, 416, &c.; and Bishop Keith's History, vol. i. p. 149, &c.

No. XVII.

LETTER OF MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS TO LORD JAMES PRIOR OF THE MONASTERY OF ST. ANDREWS. JULY 1559.

Calderwood, when noticing the arrival of the Sieur de Bethancourt in Scotland, speaks of his bringing "forged letters" to Lord James Stewart; but the whole of his account (vol. i. p. 498,) was evidently derived from Knox, but whose words are, "with letteris, as was allegit:" see supra, page 384. Spottiswood, on the other hand, throws no doubt on their genuineness, but says the bearer was Monsieur Crock; and he inserts (Hist. p. 130,) a different version of that of Francis the Second, from the one which Knox has given, and also the following letter, of which Knox, at page 386, only makes mention to quote the concluding phrase. "The letter (says Spottiswood) sent by the Queen, was of the tenor following:--

"MARY, QUEEN OF SCOTLAND AND FRANCE, TO JAMES PRIOR OF THE MONASTERIE OF S. ANDREWES.

"I cannot, my Cousin, wonder enough, how you that are nighest us in bloud, and greatly benefitted by our liberality, as yourself knoweth, should be so presumptuous and wickedly disposed, as by one and the same fact to violate the Majesty of G.o.d and the authority belonging to me and my husband; for to me it is a wonder that you, who being with me did complain of the Duke of Chattellerault, and divers others for dismissing my authority, should now be the leader of a faction in matters of greatest weight, wherein not only the honour of G.o.d is touched, but my authority all utterly taken away: which I would have more easily believed of any other of my subjects than of you, for I had a speciall hope of your fidelity, and am not a little grieved that you should have deceived me; Though yet I can sca.r.s.e be perswaded, that you are gone so far from truth and reason, as to be carried away with such blinde errours which I wish were not, as any in the world else, beseeching G.o.d to illuminate you with his light, that returning into the right way you may shew your self (by doing things contrary to that you have already performed) a good man, and obedient to our lawes; whereof by these letters I thought good to admonish you, and withall earnestly to intreat you to amend your by-gone faults, with better deeds in time coming; that the anger which I and my husband have conceived against you, may by that means be mitigated. Otherwise I would have you understand, that we will take such punishment of you, that you shall ever remember us, which shall be to me a most grievous thing.

G.o.d I beseech to keep you from all danger.

_Paris the 24. of July, 1559._"

No. XVIII.

DAVID FORREST, GENERAL OF THE MINT.

David Forrest, General of the Mint, was probably a native of East-Lothian. His name first occurs in 1546, as entertaining George Wishart, in his house in the town of Haddington. Knox speaks of him, when mentioning this circ.u.mstance, as "ane man that long hes professed the truth," (p. 137.) He had retired to England soon afterwards, as Sir Ralph Sadler, when noticing that Forrest had come to England, along with William Maitland of Lethington, and Mr. Henry Balnaves, in November 1559, he adds,--"who departed out of England in the beginning of the reign of Queen Mary for cause of religion, and now retuurneth agayn because of these troubles in Scotland, as he sayeth."--(Letters, vol. i.

p. 585.)

After the Reformation, when the want of qualified persons for the ministry was deeply felt, Forrest was one of several laymen, who, from having previously given proofs of their sincere zeal and piety, were nominated at the first General a.s.sembly, in December 1560, as "thought apt and able to minister." On the 3d July 1562, David Forrest was specially requested by the a.s.sembly "to tak on the ministerie." On the next day, his answer to that request "was referred to the Superintendent of Lothian and Kirk of Edinburgh." Again, on the 29th December 1562, "David Forrest, notwithstanding he objected his owne inabilitie, was charged by the whole a.s.semblie, as he would avoide disobedience to their voices, without farther delay, to addresse himself to enter in the ministerie, where he salbe appointed, seeing it was knowen sufficientlie that he was able for that function."--(Booke of the Universall Kirk, vol. i. pp. 4, 18, 28.)

Although Forrest did not comply with this injunction, he continued to be a member of a.s.sembly for several years, and was named on committees "for the decision of questions," and for other matters. His promotion as General of the Mint may possibly have had its influence in his refusing to take upon himself the office of the ministry. He appears to have long been connected with the Mint. In the Treasurer's Accounts, 15 June 1554-5, David Forres is styled "Magister Cone;" but he must have been superseded, as the office of "Maister Cunzeour," was filled by John Achesoun, from at least 1559 to 1563. But Forrest again appears in 1564-5; and for several years, (between 1565 and 1572,) we find monthly payments in the Treasurer's Accounts to the princ.i.p.al Officers of the Mint, viz., to David Forrest, General of the Cunzie-house, 12, 10s.

Andrew Henderson, Wardane, 4, 3s. 4d. Maister John Balfour, Comptar Wardane, 3, 6s. 8d., (who, in October 1570, was succeeded by David Adamesoun, with the same monthly fee or salary of 3, 6s. 8d.) James Mosman, a.s.sayer, (succeeded in April 1572, by Thomas Achesoun,) 3, 6s.

8d. And James Gray, Sinckar of the Irnis, 5, with an additional sum, "for brisseling, grynding, neilling, and tempering the Irnis," of 3, 6s. 8d. In the Treasurer's Accounts 1572, we also find that different sums were allowed us "feis extraordinar" to most of these officials, for services rendered "in the tyme of troubill."

FOOTNOTES

[1] That Lord Torphichen's picture at Calder House is a portrait of Knox, cannot be doubted, and it may have been copied from an older painting; but at best it is a harsh and disagreeable likeness, painted at least a century after Knox's death. It was engraved for Dr. M'Crie's work; and, on a large scale, there is a most careful engraving of it, by a very ingenious and modest artist, Mr. William Penny of Mid-Calder.

[2] The ornamented border in the original is very rudely cut: here it is given only in outline. A French translation of Beza's volume appeared in 1581, with several additional portraits; but it is somewhat remarkable that a totally different portrait should have been subst.i.tuted in place of that of Knox. This, I think, may be explained, from the circ.u.mstance of the original cut having been either injured or lost; and not from the other exhibiting a more correct likeness of the Scotish Reformer. From its marked resemblance, I am convinced, that the portrait subst.i.tuted was intended for William Tyndale.--When the engraved pseudo-portraits of Knox are brought together, it is quite ludicrous to compare the diversity of character which they exhibit. Besides the ordinary likeness, with the long flowing beard, copied from bad engravings to worse, we have the Holyrood one, not unworthy of Holbein, of a mathematician, with a pair of compa.s.ses; the head at Hamilton Palace, which might serve for the Hermit of Copmanhurst; and others that would be no unsuitable ill.u.s.trations to any account of the fools and jesters entertained at the Scotish Court.

[3] I state this from having lent him Verheiden's work, for the purpose of his copying Knox's portrait. Perhaps the fine arts sustained by the death of this eminent Painter, no greater loss than in his leaving unfinished the most exquisite design of "Knox dispensing the Sacrament,"

which, in its half-finished state, has fortunately been secured by the Royal Scotish Academy. His previous painting of "Knox preaching to the Lords of the Congregation," is sadly disfigured by the extravagant action and expression of the Reformer.

[4] This MS. when rebound, at some early time, was unfortunately too much cut in the edges. Its present ragged state suggested a minute examination, which shows that the volume consists of seventeen sets or quires, each of them, with two exceptions, having twenty-two or twenty-four leaves. Six of those quires, judging from the hand-writing and the colour of the ink, were apparently written somewhat later than the rest:--viz., the 7th set, fol. 137-158; the 9th and 10th, fol.

181-228; the 12th, fol. 253-272; the 14th, fol. 295-309; and the last set, fol. 359 to the end. What renders this the more evident is, that while the first page of each set runs on continuously from the previous page, as if there was no interruption, the catchword on the last page of these rewritten sets or quires, often stops in the middle of the page, or the beginning of a line, leaving the rest blank, owing to the style of writing, or the matter contained in these sets having varied from those which they had replaced.

[5] The following is the t.i.tle of a work on the Harmony of the Gospels, with a fac-simile of the signature referred to: "In nomine dnj. Nostrj Jesu Chrj Anno Salutis humanae 1581. Contextus historiae Euangelicae Secundum tres Euangelistas Mat. Mar. et Lucam.--Septembris 4."

[6] App. No. VI. pp. 358-363. Lond. 1702, 8vo. Nicolson, in giving some account of the History, considers the question of the Authorship, which was then reckoned doubtful, and referring particularly to the Glasgow Ma.n.u.script, he says, it "was lately presented to the College by Mr.

Robert Fleming, a late preacher at Rotterdam, now at London, Mr. Knox's great-grandchild; who having several of his said ancestor's papers in his hand, pretends to a.s.sure them, that this very Book is penn'd by the person whose name it commonly bears. For the better proof of this matter he sends them the preface of another book, written in the same hand, wherein are these words:--'_In nomine Domini Nostri Jesu Christi, &c., Septembris_ 4^o, M. Jo. Knox, _August_ 18, _A_^o 1581.' There might indeed have been some strength in this evidence, were we not a.s.sur'd that the famed Knox dy'd in 1572; so that nothing could be written by him in 1581. There was one Mr. John Knox, who was Moderator of the Synod of Merse in 1586; who perhaps is Mr. Fleming's true ancestor, as well as the transcriber of this book, and might be one of the a.s.sistants in the revising of it."--(Ib. p. 192.) These remarks gave considerable offence to Fleming, who answers them, at some length, but without throwing any new light on the subject, in the preface to his "Practical Discourse on the Death of King William III. &c.," p. xii; Lond. 1702, 8vo. Fleming was not a descendant of Knox. It is indeed true that his grandfather married Knox's daughter; but his father was the issue of a subsequent marriage. These facts are plainly stated in a letter from R. Fleming to Wodrow, dated at London, on the 6th of June 1702.

[7] In the footnotes, the errors and mistakes in Vautrollier's edition are occasionally pointed out. A sample of them may here be brought together:--

P. 40. Aue hes tuit aue spurtill.

41. priests of whordome--trystis of wh.o.r.edome.

44. Andrewe Balsone--Balfour.

52. Baltlewich, Lyniltquilk, Lemax--Balcleueh, Lynlithgow, Levenax.

54. the time thereof--the teind thereof.

55. paying such losses--paying such teinds.

62. Earle of gleuearne--Earle of Glencarne.

78. appoints--oppones.

97. the Cardinal skipped--the Cardinal scripped.

113. taken from--given to.

116. inversion--intercession.

122. entracted--entreated.

142. enduer him--c.u.mmer him.

143. receiving of limes and staues--receiving of lime and stanes.

_ib._ in great number--in no great number.

144. cryed I am Leslie a priest--cryed, I am a priest.

146. the Queen's daughter--the Queen Dowager.

149. Langundrie--Langnidrie.

166. the Gouernoures--the Gunnar's.

169. should be--should not be.

170. Scotish preachers--Scotish prikers.

177. scarcenesse--scarmishing.

180. some drunken beare, which laye in the saudes chappell and church--some drynkin bear, which lay in the syidis Chappell and Kirk.

182. were pressed--were not pressed.

186. Silbard--Sibbald.

187. and for his other William--and for his other villany.

192. Lordes Maxwell flying--Lords Maxwell, Fleming.

195. Wilbock--Willock.

199. Meruses--Mernes.

200. hearie--Harie.

226. according to comely and common lawes--according to the civile and cannon lawes.

249. auow your graces hart--move your Graces heart.

280. Ancheddirdour--Auchterarder.

281. should be--should not be.

301. estates of our religion--estates of our realme.