The Works of John Knox Volume I Part 46

[325] Ancrum Moor, about a mile and a half to the north of the village of that name, in the county of Roxburgh. The battle took place on the 17th of February 1544-45, when Sir Ralph Evers was slain, and the English forces routed.

[326] Captain de Lorge Montgomery, with about 3500 men, arrived from France in May or June 1545.--(Acta Parl. Scot. vol. ii. pp. 594-596.)

[327] The Castle of Wark, a border fortress, on the bank of the river Tyne in Northumberland, near Coldstream.

[328] In Vautr. edit. "great slaverie."

[329] In MS. G, "the Frenche Captane."

[330] Matthew Stewart fourth Earl of Lennox, had retired to England in 1545. He married Lady Margaret Douglas, daughter of the Earl of Angus and Margaret, widow of King James the Fourth. She was thus niece of the English Monarch, at whose Court she resided until her marriage. Their son was Henry Lord Darnley, who married Mary Queen of Scots. The Earl of Lennox became Regent of Scotland in 1570, upon the death of the Earl of Murray.

[331] John Hamilton, Archbishop of St. Andrews, was a natural son of James first Earl of Arran. He pursued his studies first at Glasgow, and afterwards at Paris. In 1525, he obtained the rich Abbacy of Paisley; and as Abbot he sat in the Parliaments of 1535 and 1540. His relations.h.i.+p to the Governor, over whom he obtained great influence, led to his rapid promotion. He was successively Lord Privy Seal, High Treasurer, Bishop of Dunkeld, and a Judge in the Court of Session. On the death of Cardinal Beaton, he became his successor as Primate. The "Catechisme," which usually pa.s.ses under his name, from having been printed at his expense, at St. Andrews, in 1552, exhibits a solitary instance on the part of the Roman Catholic clergy to convey spiritual instruction, and is most creditable to his memory.

[332] That is, the Abbot of Paisley now began, &c.

[333] In the MS. this word _Eme's_, at first inaccurately written, was corrected, but not distinctly, and led to the subst.i.tution of _Enemies wyfe_, in all the other copies. _Eme_ usually means _Uncle_; here it merely signifies _kinsman_.

[334] Lady Grizell Sempill was the eldest daughter of Robert third Lord Sempill, and was the second wife of James Hamilton of Stenhouse, Captain of the Castle of Edinburgh. A charter under the Great Seal was granted of the lands of Kittiemuir, on the 10th of March 1539, "Jacobi Hamilton de Stanehouse et Grizeldi Sempill ejus conjugi." Her husband, who was Provost of Edinburgh, was slain in endeavouring to quell a tumult between some of the auxiliary troops quartered in the Canongate, and the inhabitants, on the 1st of October 1548.

[335] In MS. G, "Gilston;" and in Vautr. edit., &c., "haldin in povertie." It probably means, that her connexion with the Archbishop always continued. Some further notice of this Lady will be given in a subsequent note.

[336] George Martine, in his "Reliquiae Divi Andreae," written in 1683, has given an account of Hamilton, in which, in reference to the Archbishop and this Lady, he says, "I have seen copies of charters granted by this Archbishop to William, John, and James Hamiltons, his three naturall sones born of this Grizzell Sempill; and they are designed her naturall sones, but they came all to be forfeited." (P.

244.) Letters of Legitimation of John and William Hammylton, b.a.s.t.a.r.d sons of Grissel Sempill, daughter of Robert Master of Sempill, were dated 9th Oct. 1551.--(Reg. Mag. Sigill.)

[337] Knox places Wishart's return to Scotland in 1544, although the Commissionars to whom he alludes came back in July 1543. The exact time has not been well ascertained: see Appendix, No. IX.

[338] In MS. G, "a litill s.p.a.ce."

[339] William fourth Earl Marishall, according to Sadler's report to Henry, 27th March 1543, was "a goodly young gentleman, well given to your Majesty, as I take him." He was friendly to the Reformation, and survived till about the year 1581.--(Sadler's Papers, vol. i. p. 99.)

[340] In MS. G, "Locnoreis." The person referred to was George Crawfurd of Leifnorris, or Loch Norris, now called Dumfries House, the seat of the Marquess of Bute, in the parish of Old c.u.mnock, Ayrs.h.i.+re.

[341] Gaston, or Galston, a parish in the district of Kyle.

[342] This phrase, "used much in the Bar," signifies that he frequented the house of Barr, the seat of John Lockhart of Barr, in the parish of Galston.

[343] Sir Hugh Campbell of Loudoun, was hereditary Sheriff of the county of Ayr.

[344] The persons here named were all proprietors of lands in Ayrs.h.i.+re.

Mongarswood, or Monkgarswood, is in the parish of Mauchline; Bronnsyde, in Sorne; Dawdeling, (in Vautr. edit. "Dawdilling,") or Daldilling, also in the parish of Sorne; and Tempilland, in that of Auchinleck. The Crawfurds were proprietors of Templeland; and the Reids of Daldilling, appear in the Retours 1651 and 1673, in the succession of their property.--(Ayr, Nos. 449 and 679.)

[345] Kinyeancleuch is in the parish of Mauchline. Hugh Campbell was a cadet of the Campbells of Loudoun; and his son Robert Campbell of Kinyeancleuch, who is afterwards mentioned, was a special friend of Knox, and much distinguished himself by his singular zeal and devotedness in promoting the Reformation.

[346] In Vautr. edit. "Shaw." Laurence Rankin, laird of Sheill, in the parish of Ochiltree, Ayrs.h.i.+re.

[347] The year 1544 is the date usually a.s.signed for the ravages of the plague in Dundee. It would seem to have prevailed in different parts of the country for two or three successive years. The probable time of Wishart's visit on that occasion may have been in August 1545, as we are told, "In this tyme the pest was wonder greit in all burrowis townis of this realme, quhair mony peipill deit with great skant and want of victuallis."--(Diurnal of Occurrents, p. 39.)

[348] In MS. G, "at lycht parte."

[349] During the sixteenth century, the town of Dundee was surrounded by a double wall, with ports or gates, which were all removed about sixty years ago, with the exception of the East Gate, called the Cowgate Port, which was then "allowed to stand, from respect to Wishart's memory, and his services to the inhabitants of Dundee, during the plague of 1544; and it is still kept in good preservation."--(New Stat. Account, Forfars.h.i.+re, p. 17.)

[350] In MS. G, "thay thrist in."

[351] John Kynneir of Kynneir, in the parish of Kilmany, in Fife. He was served heir to his father David Kynneir _de eodem_, in the lands and barony of Kynneir, 30th July 1543.--(Retours, Fife, No. 2.)

[352] In Vautr. edit., MSS. G, A, &c., "I shall ende my lyfe."

[353] John Erskine of Dun, near Montrose, a zealous and consistent friend of the Reformation. After the establishment of the Reformation, in July 1560, although a layman, he was admitted to the office of Superintendent of Angus and Mearns.

[354] In MS. G, "with money siches and deip grones, he plat doun." In Vautr. edit. "he fell upon."

[355] In MS. G, "keape-stone:" Vautr. edit. has "keepe stone."

[356] The words following "to meitt him," are a subsequent marginal addition by the author.

[357] In MS. G, "and this the fyftein day befoir Yuill." Vautr. reads, "the xv day before Christmas."

[358] That is, Alexander Crichton of Brunstone, Hugh Douglas of Long-Niddry, and John c.o.c.kburn of Ormiston.--As there are two places of the name of Brunstone in Mid-Lothian, it may be proper to notice, that it must have been the old Castle now in ruins, in the parish of Pennycuik, where Wishart occasionally resided, and not the house of that name, at the eastern extremity of Libberton parish, which was built, or afterwards belonged to the Lauderdale family. See a subsequent note respecting the Crichtons of Brunstone.

[359] Or Inveresk, six miles from Edinburgh.

[360] Sir George Douglas of Pittendreich, was a younger son of George, Master of Angus, who was killed at Floddon in 1513, and brother of Archibald, seventh Earl of Angus. "He was, (says Sir Walter Scott,) a man of spirit and talents; shared with his brother in the power which he possessed during the minority of James V.; was banished with him, and almost all the name of Douglas, into England, where they remained till the death of the King; and were then sent by Henry back to their native country, along with the Solway prisoners, in order to strengthen the English party in Scotland."--(Sadler's Papers, vol. i. p. 66, note.) His name appears on the 1st of April 1549, as an Extraordinary Lord of Session, which disproves the account in Douglas's Peerage of his having been killed at Pinkie, in September 1547. Having predeceased his brother, his eldest son, in 1556, became eighth Earl of Angus.

[361] In MS. G, "audience."

[362] In MS. G, "auditors."

[363] David Forres, or Forrest, is several times mentioned by Knox: he afterwards held the office of General of the Conzie House or Mint.

[364] Sir Richard Maitland of Lethington: see note 254.--The house of Lethington, being a ma.s.sive old tower, with some modern additions, and now called Lennox Love, is rather more than a mile to the south of Haddington.

[365] This is the first occasion on which Knox introduces himself.

[366] In MS. G, the words after "world," are omitted.

[367] Clerk Plays was another name for those dramatic entertainments, which in France and England were known under the t.i.tle of _Mysteries_, and which were usually founded on some pa.s.sage of Scripture.

[368] Long-Niddry is situated in the parish of Gladsmuir, East-Lothian, about four miles from Tranent, near the sh.o.r.e of the Firth.

[369] In MS. G, "mirrelie."

[370] These lines occur in a metrical version of some of the Psalms, visually, and no doubt correctly, attributed to John Wedderburn, Vicar of Dundee. Whether there was any printed edition so early as 1546, cannot be ascertained; but there was a large impression (1034 copies) of what was culled "the Dundee Psalms," printed in Scotland before 1603, in the stock of Robert Smyth, bookseller in Edinburgh.--(Bannatyne Miscellany, vol. ii. pp. 189, 234.) The collection of Psalms and Sacred Poems, known by the t.i.tle of "The Gude and G.o.dly Ballates," may have been the Psalms alluded to; and of this collection there still exist one copy at least of editions printed at Edinburgh, by John Ross, in 1578; by Robert Smyth, in 1600; and again by Andre Hart, in 1621.

In this collection is found the version of the 51st Psalm, mentioned by Knox as having been sung by Wishart. It extends to 40 verses: the first four may serve as a specimen. The reader may consult Calderwood's History, vol. i. pp. 141-143, for an interesting account of the family of James Wedderburn, merchant in Dundee, his eldest son James, and another son, as well as John the translator of the Psalms, having distinguished themselves by their "good gifts of poesie."

_Miserere mei Deus._ PSAL. 51.

Have mercy on me, G.o.d of might, Of mercy Lord and King; For thy mercy is set full right Above all eirdly thing.

Therefore I cry baith day and night, And with my hert sail sing: To thy mercy with thee will I go.