Volume II Part 41 (1/2)
[798] John Lockhart, son of John Lockhart of Barr in Ayrs.h.i.+re. He was served heir of his father, 10th May 1575.
[Sidenote: HAWICK RAIDE.]
The Erle of Murray maid a privey raid to Hawick upoun the fayre-day thairof, and apprehended fyftie theaffis; of which nomber war sevintene drowned;[799] otheris war executed in Jedburght. The princ.i.p.allis war brought to Edinburgh, and thair suffered, according to thair merittis, upoun the Burrow Mure.[800] The Quene was nothing content of the prosperitie and gude successe that G.o.d gave to the Erle of Murray in all his interprysses, for sche hated his uprycht dealling, and the image of G.o.d which evidently did appear into him; but at that tyme sche could not weall have beyn served without him.
[799] The disturbed state of the Borders called for this summary act of justice. According to Randolph's letter, dated 7th July 1562, there were eighty-three persons apprehended at Hawick, ”of the which twenty were acquitted by the a.s.size; the rest condemned; of the which twenty-two were presently drowned there, for lack of trees and halters; six hanged at Edinburgh, yesterday being Monday,” &c.
(Chalmers' Queen Mary, vol. iii. p. 360; Tytler's Hist. vol. vi. p.
259. But Chalmers dates this letter 7th June; Tytler, the 8th July.)
[800] The Borough or Common Muir, about a mile to the south of Edinburgh, was of great extent, stretching from the Pleasance westward to beyond Merchiston Castle. The place where the old wooden gallows stood for the execution of criminals, according to Maitland, was ”on the west side of the Dalkeith road, where it is left by the way to Musselburgh.” The position was afterwards changed: see his History of Edinburgh, p. 176, chap. 177, respecting the Borough Muir.
[Sidenote: SCHARPE LEFT PREACHING AND TOOK HIM TO THE LAWES.]
[Sidenote: ANNO 1566 IN MAIJ.]
The a.s.semblye of the Kyrk at Mydsymmer, the [29th] of Junij,[801] anno 1562, approached, in the which war many notable headis entreated concernying good ordour to be keapt in the Churche; for the Papistis and the idolatrie of the Queyn began to truble the formar good ordouris. Some ministeris, suche as Maister Johne Scharpe,[802] had left thair charges, and entered into other vocationis more profitable for the belly; against whom war actis maid, althought to this day thei have nott bene putt in executioun.
[801] In MS. 1566, ”the 24;” in MS. L 4, ”the penult of Junij;” in MS.
M, ”the penult of Julie.” The General a.s.sembly met at Edinburgh on the penult or 29th of June 1562. See the Booke of the Universall Kirk of Scotland, vol. i. p. 13. It should no doubt be, in ”Mr. Henry Lawder's lugeing,” instead of ”Mr. _Hendrie Lands_ house,” (ib. p. 14,) where the a.s.sembly was held.
[802] Mr. John Scharp was educated in St. Leonard's College, St.
Andrews, having taken his Bachelor's degree in 1555; and he became a licentiate or Master of Arts in 1557. At the Reformation he appears to have occasionally exercised himself in the office of the ministry, without being appointed to any particular church. The want of efficient preachers to supply the vacant charges rendered the General a.s.sembly more anxious to secure the services of qualified persons. On the 2d July 1562, the a.s.sembly ”finding him able to preach the word and minister the sacraments, as he had done before times, charged him to re-enter to the ministry, the place where he should minister being reserved to farther deliberation.” And on the 4th July, ”It was concludit that Mr. John Scharp should re-enter in the ministrie, and to serve in the kirk whilk the Superintendent of Lothian should appoint; and if he refused, that the censures of the Kirk be execute against him.” Scharp, however, according to the above marginal note, became an Advocate, and long practised at the bar with great success.
Mr. John Scharp, Advocate, had a charter of the lands of Houston, in the s.h.i.+res of Edinburgh and Linlithgow, 25th March 1576. His name occurs in an Act of Parliament, in July 1604, as ”Maister John Scharp of Houston, Lawer.” (Acta Parl. Scot. vol. iii. p. 264.) He was one of five persons connected with Scotland who were knighted by King James at Whitehall, on the 17th December 1604.
The tennour of the Supplicatioun redd in oppen audience, and approved by the hoill a.s.semblye to be presented to the Quenis Majestie, was this:--
TO THE QUENIS MAJESTIE, AND HIR MOST HONORABLE PRIVEY COUNSALL, THE SUPERINTENDENTIS AND MINISTERIS OF THE EVANGELL OF JESUS CHRIST WITHIN THIS REALME, TOGETHER WITH THE COMMISSIONARIS OF THE HOILL CHURCHES,[803] DESYRE GRACE AND PEACE FROM G.o.d THE FATHER OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, WITH THE SPREIT OF RYCHTEOUSE JUDGEMENT.
[803] In the Booke of the Kirk, ”of the haill Kirk.”
HAVING in mynd that fearfull sentence, p.r.o.nunced by the Eternall G.o.d against the watchemen that see the sweard of G.o.ddis punishement approche, and do not in plane wordis foirwarne the people, yea, the Princes and Reularis, that thei may repent, we can not but signify unto your Hienes, and unto your Counsall, that the estait of this Realme is sic for this present, that onless redress and remeady be schortlie provided, that G.o.ddis hand can not long spayr in his anger, to stryck the head and the taill; the in.o.bedient Prince and synfull people: For as G.o.d is unchangeable and trew, so must he punische in these our dayis, the grevouse synnes that befoir we read he hes punished in all aiges, after that he hes long called for reapentance, and none is schawin.
[Sidenote: THIS[804] CAUSES THE QUENIS RELIGIOUN TO HAVE MANY FAVOURARIS.]
[804] In MS. G, ”These cause;” MS. L 4, ”This causethe.”
And that your Grace and Counsall may understand what be the thingis we desyre to be reformed, we will begyn at that quhilk we a.s.suredlie know to be the fontane and spring of all other evillis that now abound in this Realme, to wit, That idoll and b.a.s.t.a.r.d service of G.o.d, the Messe; the fontane, we call it, of all impietie, not only becaus that many tack boldnes to syn be rea.s.sone of the opinioun which thei have conceaved of that idoll, to wit, That by the vertew of it, thei get remissioun of thair synnes; but also becaus that under the cullour of the Messe, are hoores, adulteraris, drunkardis, blasphemaris of G.o.d, of His holy Word and Sacramentis, and such other manifest malcfactouris, manteaned and defended: for lett any Messesayare, or earnest manteanar thairof be deprehended in any of the foirnamed crymes, no executioun can be had, for all is done in haiterent of his religioun; and so are wicked men permitted to live wickedlie, clocked and defended by that odious idoll. But supposing that the Messe war occasioun of no such evillis, yit in the self it is so odiouse in G.o.ddis presence, that we can not cease with all instance to desyre the removing of the same, alsweall frome your self as from all otheris within this Realme, tacking heavin and earth, yea, and your awin conscience to record, that the obstinat manteanance of that idoll shall in the end be to you destructioun of saule and body.
Yf your Majestie demand, why that now we ar more earnest then we have bein heirtofoir; We ansuer, (our formar silence no wiese excused,) becaus we fynd us frustrat of our hope and expectatioun; quhilk was, that in processe of tyme, your Grace's heart should have bein mollifyed, so far as that ye wold have heard the publict doctrin taught within this Realme; by the quhilk, our farther hope was, that G.o.ddis Holy Spreit should so have moved your hearte, that ye should have suffered your religioun (quhilk befoir G.o.d is nothing but abominatioun and vanitie) to have been tryed by the trew tueich-stone, the writtin word of G.o.d; and that your Grace fynding it to have no ground nor fundatioun in the same, should have gevin that glorie unto G.o.d, that ye wold have preferred his treuth unto your awin preconceaved vane opinioun, of what antiquitie that ever it hes bene.
Whairof we in a parte now discoraged[805] cane no longer keape silence, onless we wold mack our selfis criminall befoir G.o.d of your blood, perisheing in your awin iniquitie; for we plainlie admonishe you of the dangearis to come.
[805] In MS. G, ”discharged.” In the Book of the Kirk, and MS. L 4, ”disappointed.”
[Sidenote: GRUDGEING OF THE n.o.bILITIE ONE AGAINST OTHER]
The Secound that we requyre, is punishement of horrible vices, sic as ar adultery, fornicatioun, open hurdome, blasphemye, contempt of G.o.d, of his Word, and Sacramentis; quhilkis in this Realme, for lack of punishement, do evin now so abound, that syne is reputed to be no syne. And thairfoir, as that we see the present signes of G.o.ddis wrath now manifestlie appear, so do we foirwarne, that he will stryck, or it be long, yf his law without punishement be permitted thus manifestlie to be contempned. Yf any object, that punishementis can nott be commanded to be executed without a Parliament; We answer that the eternall G.o.d in his Parliament has p.r.o.nounced death to be the punishement for adulterye and for blasphemye; whose actis yf ye putt not to executioun, (seing that Kingis ar but his lieutennentis, having no power to geve lyefe, whair he commandis death,) as that he will reputt you, and all otheris that foster vice, patronis of impietie, so will he nott faill to punishe you for neglecting of his judgementis.
Our Third requeast concerneth the Poore, who be of thre sortis: the poore lauboraris of the ground; the poore desolat beggaris, orphelyns, wedoes, and strangaris; and the poore ministeris of Christ Jesus his holie evangell, quhilk ar all so crewallie entreated by this last pretended Ordour tacken for sustentatioun of Ministeris, that thair latter miserie far surmonteth the formar. For now the poore lauboraris of the ground ar so oppressed by the creualtie of those that pay thair Thrid, that they for the most parte advance upoun the poore, whatsoever they pay to the Quene, or to any other. As for the verray indigent and poore, to whome G.o.d commandis a sustentatioun to be provided of the Teyndis, they ar so dyspised, that it is a wonder that the sone geveth heat and lycht to the earth, whair G.o.dis name is so frequentlie called upoun, and no mercy (according to his commandiment) schawin to his creaturis. And also for the Ministeris, thair lyvingis ar so appointed, that the most parte shall lyve but a beggaris lyef.