The Works of John Knox Volume I Part 62

[982] In Vautr. edit. "forged."

[983] Mr. Robert Lockhart has already been mentioned by Knox, (page 300,) among the laymen who undertook the office of exhorters. He appears to have been gained over to her views by the Queen Regent; and the Treasurer's Accounts exhibit the following payments made to him by her special command. On the 16th January 1559-60, "be the Quenis Grace precept to Master Robert Lockhart, x.x.x lib." "Item, the xxiij day of Februar, be the Quenis Grace precept to Maister Robert Lockhart, xl lib."

[984] In MS. G, "unto Hir Grace the Quein Regent, may be understude."

[985] Supplied from MS. G.

[986] In MS. G, these words are thus transposed,--"I culd not be proven enemie, bot rather an unfayned freind to your Grace." Vautr.

edit. follows the text, except "proved" for "proven."

[987] In the year 1558, at Geneva: see note 3, page 252.

[988] In MS. G, "your Graces hairt." Vautr. edit. has, "your hearte."

[989] Robert Lockhart, see page 434.

[990] Supplied from MS. G.

[991] In MS. G, "of this c.u.n.trey." Vautr. edit. has, "realme."

[992] Vautr. edit. omits this marginal note; but it occurs in MS. G.

[993] In MS. G, "seikes or sutes ony pre-eminence, eyther to." Vautr.

edit. makes it, "sues nor seekes anie pre-heminence."

[994] "Maister Robert Foirman," in 1551, was Ross Herald; and in that capacity, on the 7th May 1552, he was "direct fra the Counsale, with certain Articulis to be schawand to the King of France; and frathin to the Empriour," the Treasurer on that day having paid "to hym, to be his expenses in his jornay, 400."--On the death of the celebrated poet, Sir David Lyndesay of the Mount, Forman, in 1558, became his successor as Lyon King-at-Arms.

[995] Keith has copied from Knox the "Credeit" or Commission from the Queen Regent; but in the Appendix to his History he says, "I make little doubt he (Knox) has curtailed the same, and formed it so as to serve his own purpose: And had this Credit been contained in as few words as this author relates it, the Regent might have easily inserted the whole of it in her letter, without any unbecoming prolixity. I do, therefore, recommend to my readers not to satisfy themselves with this account of the Credit, but to look into _that_ which Archbishop Spottiswood narrates; which, as it is much more distinct in answering to each part of complaint from the Congregationers, so it has all the air of ingenuity, and seems fully to answer the character of that wise and worthy Princess." He then proceeds to quote from Spottiswood's MS. some remarks, differing from the corresponding pa.s.sage in the printed History; but these are too long to be here quoted: see Keith, Hist. vol.

i. pp. 232, 400-492.

[996] In MS. G, "of the Kirk of Edinburgh, being commanded." Vautr.

edit. is the same as the text.

[997] In MS. G, "was thair protest." Vautr. edit. has, "process."

[998] In MS. G, "in sygne of manifest oppresioun." Vautr. edit., as in the text, omits the words "sygne of."

[999] In MS. G, "commonaltie."

[1000] In MS. G, "and to performance of thir hir wicked nterprises."

Vautr. edit. reads, "to performe these her wicked interprises."

[1001] The stranger referred to, was Monsieur de Ruby, who has already been noticed: see pages 262, 292. Secretary Cecil, in a letter to Sir Ralph Sadler, from London, 25th November 1559, says, "At this present Monsieur Ruby is here, and hath spoken with the Quenes Majestye this daye. His errand, I thynke, be to goe into Fraunce, and, by the waye here, to expostulate upon certain greeffs in that Quenes name. He telleth many tales, and wold very fayne have the Queenes Majestye beleve that he sayth truth." Some of these "tales" are specified--such as, that the Scotts report they have had 6000 in ayde from England, &c. It is afterwards added, "Ruby departeth to-morrow."--(Sadler's State Papers, vol. i. p. 630.)

[1002] This marginal note, in MS. G, reads, "Hir dauchter followis the same, for to Davie was the Greitt Seill gevin."--In the List of Officers of State, appended to Scott's Staggering State, (see note, page 293,) Riccio is said to have succeeded Mons. de Ruby; but the public records furnish no evidence to show that David Riccio ever was intrusted with the Great Seal. His highest promotion was Private Secretary to the Queen and Darnley; as will more particularly be noticed in the next volume, towards the conclusion of the History.

[1003] The words enclosed within brackets, occur both in MS. G. and Vautr. edit.; but neither copy has any signatures. Keith, in his remarks on this Act of Deposition of the Queen Regent, says, "And for this reason, (the few persons present at framing it,) perhaps, they thought fit not to sign the Act man by man, but to wrap it up after this general manner, viz., _By us the n.o.bility_," &c.--(Hist. vol. i. p.

237.) This evidently is a mistake, as the Act itself concludes with the express statement, "subscrivit _with our handis_," &c.--In the MS. of 1566, a blank s.p.a.ce of half a page at the end of the above Act, has been left for the purpose of inserting the signatures, we may suppose, in a kind of fac-simile.

Keith previously mentions, that the Councillors who signed the Letter to the Queen, on the 23d October, were twenty-nine in number, viz., The Duke of Chatelherault; _Earls_, Arran, Eglinton, Argyll, Rothes, Morton, Glencairn, Marischal, Sutherland; _Lords_, Erskine, Ruthven, Home, Athens (Alexander Gordon, afterwards Bishop of Galloway,) the Prior of St. Andrews (Lord James Stewart,) Livingston, Master of Maxwell, Boyd, Ochiltree; _Barons_, Tullibardine, Glenorchy, Lindsay, Dun, Lauriston, Cunningham, Calder, Pittarrow; _Provosts_ of Edinburgh, St. Andrews, Dundee. But see the note to the Letter itself, in the following page 451.

[1004] In MS. G, "your doingis." Vautr. edit. has, "proceedings."

[1005] In MS. G, "for our Regent." Vautr. edit. has, "anie."

[1006] The town of Leith.

[1007] In MS. G, "placed." Vautr. edit. has, "planted."

[1008] In MS. G, "accustomed."

[1009] In Vautr. edit. "the 24 day;" and this date is followed in all the copies, excepting MS. G.

[1010] In the British Museum (MSS. Cotton. Calig., B. x., f. 42.) there is a contemporary transcript of this Letter, which contains the signatures, or rather the names of the persons who signed it, as follows:

"Your Grace's humble Serviteurs,

THE COUNCIL, having the authority unto the next Parliament, erected by common election of the Earls, Lords, and Barons, convened at Edinburgh, of the Protestant faction.

(_Earls._) My Lord Duke's Grace and Earl of Arran.

The E. of Argile.

The E. of Glencairn.

(_Lords._) James of St. Andrews.

The Lord Ruthven.

The Master of Maxwell.

(_Barons._) Tullibardine.

The Laird of Dun.

The Laird of Pittarrow.

The Provost of Aberdeen, for the Burrows."

[1011] In MS. G, "the ane and the other." Vautr. edit. has, "either the one or the other." Some other trivial differences in this Summonds occur in MS. G.

[1012] In the MS. of 1566, "scalles."

[1013] In MS. G, "at that."

[1014] In May 1555, we find him styled, "Maister James Balfoure, Officiall of Sanctandrois, within the Archedenerie of Lowthiane."--(Criminal Trials, vol. i. p. 378.)

[1015] In MS. G, "quhilk we thocht."

[1016] Sir William Murray of Tullibardine.

[1017] John Hart was connected with the Mint in some subordinate capacity. His name does not occur among the Officers of the Mint, in the Treasurer's Accounts, at this time; but it occurs in a proclamation, dated 5th March 1574, respecting the false and adulterated coins (placks and hard-heads) which were ordered to be brought to the Mint.--(Lindsay's Coinage of Scotland, pp. 184, 239.)

[1018] The Cunyie House, or Scotish Mint, was near the foot of Gray's Close, entering from the Cowgate, and formed a kind of small court or square. But these buildings bear the date of having been erected in 1574. The Mint had previously been moved from one place to another, such as Edinburgh Castle, Holyrood House, Dalkeith, &c. Thus we find in the Treasurer's Accounts, February 1562-3, is the following payment:--"Item, allowit to the Comptar, be payment maid be Johne Achesoun, Maister Cwnzeour, to Maister William M'Dowgale, Maister of Werk, for expensis maid be him vpon the bigging of the Cwnze-house, within the Castell of Edinburgh, and beting of the Cwnze-house within the Palace of Halierudhouse, fra the xi day of Februar 1559 zeris, to the 21 of April 1560, &c., 460, 4s. 1d."

[1019] In the view of affording aid to the Lords of the Congregation, a commission was granted to the Earl of Northumberland, Sir Ralph Sadler, and Sir James Crofts. The ostensible object was the settlement of some Border disputes, which were arranged on the 22d September; but by remaining at Berwick, they were able, with greater facility and secrecy, to hold communication with the Protestant party in Scotland, without apparently infringing the Treaty of Peace which had previously been concluded. Sadler's private instructions to this effect are dated 8th August 1559, and he was empowered to treat with any persons he thought advisable, and to distribute, with all due discretion and secrecy, money to the extent of 3000.--(Sadler's State Papers, vol. i. pp. xxix. 391.) The arrival of the French troops in aid of the Queen Regent, led to a more direct and ostensible a.s.sistance on the part of England, in sending auxiliary forces to support the Scotish Reformers.