The Works of John Knox Volume II Part 35

[Sidenote: QUESTIOUN.]

"But yit, (said sche,) thei resisted not by the sweard?"

[Sidenote: [ANSWER.]]

"G.o.d, (said he,) Madam, had not gevin unto thame the power and the meanes."

"Think ye, (quod sche,) that subjectis having power may resist thair Princes?"

[Sidenote: QUESTION TO ANSWER THE FORMAR]

[Sidenote: BLYND ZEALL WHAT.]

[Sidenote: WHEN THIS WAS WRITTEN, THAIR WES NO APPEARANCE OF MARIES IMPREASONMENT.][658]

[658] This marginal note in MS. 1566, occurs in one of the re-written sets or quires, and is in the same hand with the text. The reference is evidently to the imprisonment of Queen Mary in Lochlevin Castle, in June 1567, from whence she made her escape on the 2d May 1568.

"Yf thair Princes exceed thair boundis, (quod he,) Madam, and do against that whairfoir they should be obeyed, it is no doubt but thei may be resisted, evin by power. For thair is neather greattar honour, nor greattar obedience to be gevin to kings or princes, then G.o.d hes commanded to be gevin unto father and mother: But so it is, Madam, that the father may be stricken with a phrensye, in the which he wold slay his awin childrene. Now, Madame, yf the children aryese, joyne thame selfis togetther, apprehend the father, tack the sweard or other weaponis frome him, and finallie bind his handis, and keape him in preasone, till that his phrenesy be over past; think ye, Madam, that the children do any wrang? Or, think ye, Madam, that G.o.d wilbe offended with thame that have stayed thair father to committ wickedness? It is even so, (said he,) Madam, with Princes that wold murther the children of G.o.d that are subject unto thame. Thair blynd zeall is no thing but a verray mad phrenesie; and thairfoir, to tack the sweard frome thame, to bynd thair handis, and to cast thame selfis in preasone, till that thei be brought to a more sober mynd, is no disobedience against princes, but just obedience, becaus that it aggreith with the will of G.o.d."

At these wordis, the Quene stood as it war amased, more then the quarter of ane hour. Hir countenance altered, so that Lord James begane to entreat her, and to demand, "What hes offended you, Madam?"

[Sidenote: THE QUENIS CONCLUSIOUN.]

At lenth, sche said, "Weall then I perceave that my subjectis shall obey you,[659] and not me; and shall do what thei list, and nott what I command: and so man I be subject to thame, and nott thei to me."

[659] Namely, John Knox.

"G.o.d forbid, (answered he,) that ever I tack upoun me to command any to obey me, or yitt to set subjectis at libertie to do what pleaseth thame. Bot my travell is, that boyth princes and subjectis obey G.o.d.

And think not, (said he,) Madam, that wrong is done unto you, when ye ar willed to be subject unto G.o.d: for it is he that subjects people under princes, and causses obedience to be gevin unto thame; yea, G.o.d craves of Kingis That thei be as it war foster-fatheris to his Churche, and commands Quenis to be nurisses unto his people. And this subjectioun, Madam, unto G.o.d, and unto his trubled Churche, is the greatest dignitie that flesche can get upoun the face of the earth, for it shall cary thame to everlasting glorie."

[Sidenote: THE QUENIS KIRK.]

"Yea, (quod sche,) but ye are not the Kirk that I will nureiss. I will defend the Kirk of Rome, for, I think, it is the treu Kirk of G.o.d."

"Your will, (quod he,) Madam, is no rea.s.sone; neather doeth your thoght maik that Romane harlot to be the treu and immaculat spous of Jesus Christ. And wonder nott, Madam, that I call Rome a harlott; for that Churche is altogidder polluted with all kynd of spirituall fornicatioun, alsweall in doctrine as in maneris. Yea, Madam, I offer myselff farther to prove, that the Churche of the Jewes that crucifyed Christ Jesus, was not so far degenerated frome the ordinances and statutis which G.o.d gave be Moses and Aharon unto his people, when that thei manifestlie denyed the Sone of G.o.d,[660] as that the Churche of Rome is declyned, and more than five hundreth year hath declyned frome the puritie of that Religioun, whiche the Apostles taught and planted."

[660] In MS. G, these words are transposed.

"My conscience, (said sche,) is nott so."

"Conscience, Madam, (said he,) requyres knowlege; and I fear that rycht knowlege ye have none."

"But, (said sche,) I have bayth heard and red."

[Sidenote: QUESTIOUN.]

"So, (said he,) Madam, did the Jewes that crucifyed Christ Jesus, read both the Law and the Prophetis, and heard the same interprete after thair maner. Have ye heard, (said he,) any teache, but such as the Pope and his Cardinalles have allowed? And ye may be a.s.sured, that suche will speak nothing to offend thair awin estaite."

[Sidenote: ANSWRE.]

"Ye interprete the Scripturis (said she,) in one maner, and thei interprete in ane other; Whome shall I beleve? And who shalbe judge?"

[Sidenote: MESSE.]

"Ye shall beleve (said he,) G.o.d, that planelie speaketh in his word: and farther then the word teaches you, ye neather shall beleve the ane or the other. The word of G.o.d is plane in the self; and yf thair appear any obscuritie in one place, the Holy Ghost, whiche is never contrariouse to him self, explanes the same more clearlie in other places: so that thair can remane no doubt, but unto suche as obstinatlie remane ignorant. And now, (said he,) Madam, to tack ane of the cheaf pointis, whiche this day is in contraversie betwix the Papistis and us: for example, the Papistis allege, and boldly have affirmed, That the Messe is the ordinance of G.o.d, and the inst.i.tutioun of Jesus Christ, and a sacrifice for the synnes of the quyck and the dead. We deny bothe the one and the other, and affirme, that the Messe, as it is now used, is nothing but the inventioun of man; and, thairfoir, is an abominatioun befoir G.o.d, and no sacrifice that ever G.o.d commanded. Now, Madam, who shall judge betwix us two thus contending? It is no rea.s.sone that eather of the parteis be farther beleved, then thei are able to prove by insuspect witnessing: Let thame lay down the book of G.o.d, and by the plane wordis thairof prove their affirmatives, and we shall geve unto thame the pley granted. But so long as thei ar bold to affirme, and yit do prove nothing, we man say, that albeit all the warld beleved thame, yit beleve thei not G.o.d, but receaves the lyes of men for the treuth of G.o.d. What oure maister Jesus Christ did, we know by his Evangelistis: what the preast doeth at his Messe, the warld seeth. Now, doeth nott the word of G.o.d planelie a.s.sure us, that Christ Jesus neather said, nor yit commanded Messe to be said at his Last Suppar, seing that no suche thing as thair Messe is maid mentioun of within the whole Scripturis?"

"Ye ar oure sair for me, (said the Quene,) but and yf thai war here that I have heard, thai wold ansuer you."

"Madam, (quod the other,) wold to G.o.d that the learnedest Papist in Europe, and he that ye wold best beleve, war present with your Grace to sustene the argument; and that ye wald patientlie abyd to hear the mater rea.s.soned to the end; for then I doubt not, Madam, but that ye should hear the vanitie of the Papisticall religioun, and how small[661] ground it hath within the wourd of G.o.d."

[661] In MS. G, "how little."

"Weall (said sche) ye may perchance gett that sonner than ye beleve."

"a.s.suredlie, (said the other) yf ever I gett that in my lyeff, I gett it sonnar than I beleif; for the ignorant Papistis can not patientlie rea.s.soun, and the learned and crafty Papist will never come in your audience, Madam, to have the ground of thair religioun searched out; for thai know that thai ar never able to sustene ane argument, except fyre and sweard, and thair awin lawis be judges."

"So say ye, (quod the Quene,) but I cane beleve that."

"It hes bene so to this day,[662] (quod he,) for how oft have the Papistis in this and other realmes bein required to come to conference, and yitt could it never be obteaned, unless that thame selfis war admitted for judges. And thairfoir, Madam, I must yitt say agane, that thai dar never dispute, but whare thame selfis are both judge and partye. And whensoever that ye shall let me see the contrarye, I shall grant my selff to have bene deceaved in that poynt."

[662] In MS. G, these words are added to the preceding sentence. In MS. L 4, the words are arranged, and perhaps more correctly thus:--"So say ye," said the Quene, "Bot (said he) I can believe that it has not been this day," &c.

And with this the Quene was called upon to dennar, for it was after-noon. At departing, Johnne Knox said unto hir, "I pray G.o.d, Madam, that ye may be als blessed within the Commoun-wealth of Scotland, yf it be the pleasur of G.o.d, as ever Debora was in the Commoun-wealth of Israell."

Of this long Conference, whairof we onlie tueich a part, war diverse opinionis. The Papistis grudged, and feared that which thai neided not. The G.o.dlye, thinking at least that sche wold have heard the preaching, rejoised; but thai war alluterly deceaved, for sche continewed in her Messing; and dispised and quyetlie mocked all exhortationis.

[Sidenote: JOHNE KNOX HIS JUDGMENT OF THE QUENE AT THE FIRST, AND EVER SINCE.]

Johne Knox his awin judgement, being be some of his[663] familiaris demanded, What he thought of the Quene? "Yf thair be not in hir (said he) a proud mynd, a crafty witt, and ane indurat hearte against G.o.d and his treuth, my judgment faileth me."

[663] In MS. G, "his awn."

When the hoill n.o.bilitie war convened, the Lordis of Privey Counsall war chosen,[664] who war appointed,[665] the Duke his Grace, the Erles of Huntley, Ergyle, Atholl, Mortoun, Glencarne, Mersch.e.l.l, Bothwell: Lordis Erskin, &c., Lord James, &c. Of these war a certane appointed to wait upoun [the] Court by course; but that ordour continewed not lang.

[664] In MS. L 4, "those that war appointed, war."

[665] The meeting of the Privy Council, referred to, was held in the Palace of Holyrood, on the 6th of September 1561. See an extract from the Register, in Keith's History, (new edit. vol. ii. p. 78.)

Duck D'Omell[666] returned with the galayes to France. The Quene entered in hir progresses, and in the moneth of September traveled from Edinburgh to Lynlythqu, Striveling, Sanct Johnestoun, Dondie, Sanctandrois;[667] which all partis sche polluted with hir idolatrie.

Fyre followed hir verray commounlie in that jorney. The townis propyned hir liberallie, and thairof war the Frenche enriched.

[666] Claude, Duke d'Aumale, (see note 6, page 268.) On Sunday, the last of August, he was present at the banquet given by the Town of Edinburgh to the Queen and the French princes; and on the following day, "the said Monssieur Domell [d'Aumale] depairt.i.t with the twa gallionis, quhilk brocht the Quenis Grace hame, to France." (Diurnal of Occurrents, p. 67.) The Queen, on the 24th of August, had granted precepts for the following sums, 37, 10s. to be paid "to John Terrie, maister of ane schip;" 100 crounis of the sun "to six pilots, of the twa galeris;" 66, 13s. 4d. to "Monsieur Tynnance, to be distribut.i.t amangis the officiaris of the twa galeris;" and 200 crounis of the sun, or 266, 13s. 4d. to Monsieur Tynnance, for his own use.

(Treasurer's Accounts.)