Volume II Part 41 (2/2)
And all c.u.meth of that impietie, that the idill bellies of Christis ennemyes mon be fedd in thair formare delicacie.
We dar nott conceall frome your Grace and Honouris our conscience, quhilk is this, That neather by the law of G.o.d, neather yitt by any just law of man, is any thing dew unto thame, who now most creuellie do exact of the poore and riche the Two partes of thair Benefices, as they call thame: And thairfoir we most humblie requyre, that some other Ordour may be tacken with thame, nor that thei be sett up agane to impyre above the people of G.o.d, eathir yitt above any subject within this Realme. For we fear that sic usurpatioun to thair formar estaite be neather in the end pleasing to thame selfis, nor profitable to thame that wold place thame in that tyrannye. Yf any think that a competent lyving is to be a.s.signed to thame, we repugne not, provided that the Lauboraris of the ground be nott oppressed, the Poore be nott utterlie neglected, and the Ministeris of the word so scharplie entreated as now thay ar. And, finallie, that those idill bellies, who by law can crave nothing, shall confesse that thei receave thair sustentatioun, nott of debt, but as of benevolence. Our humble requeast is thairfoir, that some suddane ordour may be tacken, that the poore Lauboraris may fynd some releaf, and that in everie parochine some portioun of the Teyndis may be a.s.signed to the sustentatioun of the Poore within the same; and lykwise that some publict releaf may be provided for the Poore within Broughtis; that collectouris may be appointed to gatther, and that scharpe comptis may be tacken, alsweall of thair receat as of thair deliverance. The farther consideratioun to be had to our Ministeris, we in some parte remitt to your Wisdomes, and unto thair particular complayntis.
Oure Fourt pet.i.tioun is for the mansses, yardis, and gleibes, justlie apperteanyng to the Ministeris, without the quhilkis it is unpossible unto thame quyetly to serve thair chargeis; and thairfoir we desyre ordour to be tacken thairinto without delay.
Oure Fyft concerneth the in.o.bedience of certane wicked personis, who not onlie truble, and have trubled Ministeris in thair functioun, but also disobey the Superintendentis in thair visitatioun; whairof we humblye crave remeady; which we do not so much for any fear that we and our Ministeris have of the Papistis, but for the love that we bear to the commoun tranquillitie. For this we can not hyd from your Majestie and Counsall, that yf the Papistis think to triumphe whair thai may, and to do what thai list, whair thair is not a partie able to resist thame, that some will think, that the G.o.dlie mon begyn whair thai left, who heirtofoir have borne all thingis patientlie, in hope that Lawes should have brydilled the wicked; whairof yf thai be frustrat, (albeit that nothing be more odiouse to thame then tumultis and domesticall discord,) yit will men attempt the uttermost, befoir that in thair awin eyes thai behold that House of G.o.d demolisshed, quhilk with travaill and danger G.o.d hath within this Realme erected by thame.
Last, We desyre that sick as have receaved remissioun of thair Thriddis be compelled to susteane the Ministerie within thair boundis, or ellis we foirwarne your Grace and Counsall, that we fear that the people shall reteane the hoill in thair handis, unto sic tyme as thair ministery be sufficientlie provided. We farther desyre the kirkis to be repared according to ane Act set furth by the Lordis of Secreat Counsall, befoir your Majesties arryvall in this countrey: That Judges be appointed to hear the causes of divors.e.m.e.nt; for the Kirk can no longare sustean that burthen, especiallye becaus thair is no punishement for the offendars: That sayeris and heararis of Messe, prophanaris of the Sacramentis, such as have entered in [to] benefices by the Papis bulles, and such otheris transgressouris of the Law maid at your Grace's arryvall within this Realme, may be seveirlie punished; for ellis men will think that thair is no treuth ment in macking of sick Lawis.
Farther, We most humblye desyre of your Grace and Honorable Counsall, a resolut ansuer to everie ane of the headis foirwritten, that the same being knawin, we may somewhat satisfie such as be grevouslie offended at manifest iniquitie now manteaned, at oppressioun under pretext of Law done against the poor, and at the rebelliouse disobedience of many wicked personis against G.o.dis word and holy ordinance.
G.o.d the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, so reull your heartis, and direct your Grace and Counsallis judgementis by the dyttament and illuminatioun of his Holy Spreit, that ye may ansuer so as that your consciences may be absolved in the presence of that rychteous Judge, the Lord Jesus; and then we doubt nott but ye your selfis shall fynd felicitie, and this poor Realme, that long hes bene oppressed by wicked men, shall enjoy tranquillitie and rest, with the treu knowledge of G.o.d.
[Sidenote: ESAI.]
[Sidenote: ANSUERE TO LETHINGTON.]
These thingis redd in publict a.s.sernblie,[806] as said is, war approved of all, (and some wissed that moir scharpness had bene used, becaus that the tyme so craved,) but the monzeoris of the Court, and Secreatarie Lethingtoun abuf otheris, could not abyd such hard speiking; ”For who ever saw it writtin (said he) to a Prince, That G.o.d wold stryck the head and the taill: That yf Papistis did what thei list, men wold begyn whair thei left.” But abuf all otheris that was most offensyve, that the Quene was accused, as that sche wold raise up Papists and Papistrie agane. To put that in the people's head was no less then trea.s.sone; for oathes durst be maid[807] that sche never ment such thing. To whom it was ansured, ”That the Prophete Esaias used such manor of speiking; and it was no doubt but he was weill acquented in the Court; for it was supposed he was of the Kingis stock. But howsoever it was, his wordis mack manifest, that he s.p.a.ck to the Court and Courteouris, to Judges, Ladies, Princes, and Preastis: And yit, (sayes he,) ”The Lord shall cut away the head and the taill,” &c. ”And so,” said the first wryttar, ”I fynd that such phrase was ones used befoir us. And yf this offend you, that we say, 'Men maun begyn whair thei left,' in case that Papistis do as thei do; we wold desyre you to teache us, not so much how we shall speak, but rather what we shall do, when our Ministeris ar strycken, our Superintendentis disobeyed, and a plane rebellioun decread against all good ordour.” ”Complean,” said Lethingtoun. ”Whom to?” said the other.
”To the Quenis Majestie,” said he. ”How long shall we do so?” quod the whole. ”Till that ye get remeady,” said the Justice Cleark: ”geve me thair names, and I shall geve you letteris.” ”Yf the shepe,” said one, ”shall compleane to the wolf, that the wolves and whelpis hes devoured thair lambis, the compleanar may stand in danger; but the offendar, we feare, shall have libertie to hunt after his prey.” ”Sic comparisonis,” said Lethingtoun, ”are verray unsaverie; for I am a.s.sured, that the Quene will neather erect, nor yit manteane Papistrie.” ”Let your a.s.surance,” said ane other, ”serve your self, but it can not a.s.sure us, for hir manifest proceadings speakis the contrair.”
[806] At the 6th Sess., 4th July.
[807] In MS. G, ”wer maid.”
After sick tanting rea.s.sonyng of boyth the sydis, the mult.i.tude concluded, that the Supplicatioun, as it was conceaved, should be presented, onless that the Secreatarie wold forme one more aggreable to the present necessitie. He promest to keap the substance of ouris, but he wold use other termes, and ask thingis in a mair gentill maner.
The first writtar ansured, ”That he served the Kirk at thair commandiment, and was content, that in his dictament should men use the libertie that best pleased thame, provided that he was not compelled to subscryve to the flatterie of such as more regarded the personis of men and wemen, then the simple treuth of G.o.d.” And so was this formar Supplicatioun gevin to be reformed as Lethingtounis wisdome thought best. And in verray deid he framed it so, that when it was delivered by the Superintendentis of Lotheane and Fyfe, and when that sche had redd somewhat of it, sche said, ”Here ar many fair wordis: I can not tell what the heartis ar.” And so for our paynted oratorye, we war termed the nixt name to flatteraris and dissemblaris.
But for that Sessioun the Kirk receaved none other ansuer.
[Sidenote: JOHNE GORDOUN AND OGILBY.]
Schort after[808] the conventioun of the Kirk, chansed that unhappy persuyt whilk Johnne Gordoun, Laird of Fynlater,[809] maid upoun the Lord Ogilby,[810] who was evill hurt, and almost yit abydis mutilat.
The occasioun was, for certane landis and rights, quhilkis old Fyndlater had resigned to the said Lord, which he was perseuing, and was in appearance to obteane his purpose. Whairat the said Johne and his servandis war offended, and thairfoir maid the said persuyt, upoun a Setterday, at nycht, betwix nyne and ten. The freindis of the said Lord war eather not with him, or ellis not weall willing to feght that nycht; for thei took straikis, but geve few that left markis. The said Johne was tane, and put in the Tolbuyth, whair he remanent certane dayis, and then brack his warde, some judged, at his fatheris commandiment; for he was macking preparatioun for the Quenis c.u.ming to the North, as we will after hear.
[808] As mentioned in the previous page 337, Knox has mistaken the time when the General a.s.sembly met, and in this way he probably committed the mistake of saying, ”Schort after,” instead of ”Short before the Conventioun.” The meetings of the a.s.sembly were from Monday the 29th June, till Sat.u.r.day the 4th July 1562. The above conflict took place on Sat.u.r.day the 27th June. The Magistrates having apprehended and imprisoned Gordon of Finlater, and ordered two of the Ogilvies to be kept in ward, they sent a messenger to the Queen, who was then in Stirling, to obtain her instructions. The Queen's letter, dated penult of June, is preserved in the Council Register, and is printed by Keith. (Hist. vol. ii. p. 156.) But Sir John Gordon, as Knox mentions, soon afterwards made his escape to the North.
[809] Sir John Gordon was third son of George fourth Earl of Huntley.
Alexander Ogilvy of Ogilvy, in 1545, having disinherited his son James Ogilvy of Cardell, settled his estates of Finlater and Deskford upon John Gordon, who a.s.sumed the name of Ogilvie, which was the occasion of the animosity that existed between the two families. James Ogilvy of Cardell had been in France, and was Master of the Household of Queen Mary. He was now endeavouring to recover possession of his father's estates. The claim between the rival families of Gordon and Ogilvy having at length been referred to arbitration, the estates of Deskford and Finlater, in 1566, were affirmed to James Ogilvy, the ancestor of the Earls of Finlater; and this award was ratified in Parliament, 19th April 1567.
[810] According to most accounts James sixth Lord Ogilvy of Airly was so severely wounded in this conflict, on the 27th June 1562, that his life was considered to be in imminent danger; but he recovered and survived till the year 1606.
The interview and meating of the two Quenis, delayed till the nixt year, oure Soverane took purpose to visyt the North, and departed from Striveling in the moneth of August. Whitther thair was any secreat pactioun and confederacye betwix the Papistis in the South, and the Erle of Huntley and his Papistis in the North; or, to speak more planelie, betwix the Quene hir self and Huntley, we can not certanlie say.[811] But the suspitionis war wounderous vehement, that thair was no good will borne to the Erle of Murray, nor yit to such as depended upoun him at that tyme. The History we shall faythfullie declair, and so leave the judgement free to the readaris.
[811] In MS. G, ”certanely affirme.”
That Johne Gordoun brack his ward, we have already heard, who immediately thairafter reapared to his father George, then Eric of Huntley;[812] and understanding the Quenis c.u.ming, maid graite provisioun in Strabogye, and in other partis, as it war to receave the Quene. At Aberdene the Quene and Court remaned certane dayis to deliberat upoun the affaires of the countrey; whair some began to smell, that the Erle of Huntley was under gatthering, as heirefter shalbe declaired.
[812] George fourth Earl of Huntley succeeded his grandfather in 1524.
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