Item, that all prechers of the Word of God, or thai be admittit to prech... be first examinit deuly . . . if thai be of gud manners and of fitt knawlege. . . . Item, that thar be na curatis nor vicares . . . maid . . . bot sic as are sufficiantly qualifeit to ministar the sacramentis . . . and that thai can distinctly and plainly reid the Catechisme.... Item, that the Common Prayers with Litanies in our vulgar toung be said in evry peroch kirk upon Sondays and uther Haly Dayis efter the Devin service of the Mess, and that the Evening Prayers be said efternein in likwyse. No. 342. Archbishop Hamilton's Catechism, 1552. From the Preface.-Efter that the divine providence of God had promovit us to the office of ane Archbischop and general primacie of this kirk of Scotland, we thocht oft tymes, that na thing culd be to God mair plesand, to the christin pepil mair expedient, and to our office mair convenient and consonant, than with all diligence to provide, that the christin pepil (of quhome we have spiritual cure under God) mycht be instruckit in the faith and law of God, with ane uniforme and concordant doctrine of Christis religioun, aggreabil in all pointis to the catholyk veritie of halie kirk. . . . To that effect we have exhibet to yow this present Catechisme : quhairin is contenit brevely and trewly, the sowmme of our christian doctrin, agreand in all pointis to the wordis of halye scripture, trew expositioun of the auld and catholyk doctouris, and in materis of contraversie, agreand to the decisiouns and determinatiouns of general counsallis, lauchfully gaderit in the halye spreit for the corroboratioun of our faith. . . . Heirfor it is to yow expedient to use this present Catechisme, first to your awin instruction, remembring quhat is writtin: Ignorantia mater cunctorum errorum maxime in sacerdotibus vitanda est, qui officium docendi in populo susceperunt. . . . Secundly, according to the decreit maid in our provincial counsale, our will is that ye reid the samyn Catechisme diligently, distinctly and plainly, ilk ane of yow to your awin parochianaris, for thair common instructioun and spiritual edificatioun in the word of God, necessarie of thame to be knawin. . . . And thairfor everilk sonday and principal halydaie, quhen thair cummis na precheour to tham to schaw thame the word of God, to have this Catechisme usit and reid to thame in steid of preching, quhil God of his gudnes provide ane sufficient nowmer of catholyk and abil precheouris, quhilk sal be within few yeiris as we traist in God, to quhom be honour and glore for evir. Amen. No. 343. A ballad of c. 1560. The Paip, that Pagane full of pryde For quhair the blind the blind dois gyde, Lyke Prince and King, he led the Ring Of all Iniquitie: Hay trix, tryme go trix, under the grenewod tree. Bot his abominatioun The Lord hes brocht to lycht; His Popische pryde and thrinfald Crowne, His plak Pardonis ar bot lardonis [deceits] His Abbotis gat ane uncouth turne, With Burges wyffis thay led thair lyues, And fure [fared] better nor we. Hay trix, &c. With babling blerit our E [eye]. Hay trix, &c. The blind Bischop, he culd nocht preiche, The sillie Freir behulffit to fleiche [flatter] The Curat his Creid he culd nocht reid, The Persoun wald nocht haif ane hure [whore] The Vicar thocht [though] he was pure [poor] The pareis Preist, that brutall beist, Hay trix, &c. Of lait I saw thir lymmaris [villains] stand, Thinking to get the upper hand, Thay luke efter releif, Bot all in vaine, go tell thame plaine, That day will neuer be. Hay trix, &c. O Jesu gif thay thocht greit glie To se Goddis word downe smorit [smothered], Hypocrisie restorit, With Messis sung and bellis rung To thair Idolatrie ; Marie, God thank 30w, we sall gar brank [curb] yow, No. 344. The Band of 3 Dec, 1557, and the (a) The Band.-We, perceaving how Sathan in his memberis, the Antichristis of our tyme, cruelly doeth rage, seaking to dounethring and to destroy the Evangell of Christ, and his Congregatioun, aught, according to our bonden deuitie, to stryve in our Maisteris caus, evin unto the death, being certane of the victorie in him. The quhilk our dewitie being weall considdered, We do promesse befoir the Majestie of God, and his congregatioun, that we (be his grace) shall with all diligence continually apply our hole power, substance, and our verray lyves, to manteane, sett ford ward, and establish the most blessed word of God and his Congregatioun; and shall laubour at our possibilitie to have faythfull Ministeris purely and trewlie to minister Christis Evangell and Sacramentes to his people. We shall manteane thame, nuriss thame, and defend thame, the haill congregatioun of Christ, and everie membour thairof, at our haill poweris and waring of our lyves, against Sathan, and all wicked power that does intend tyranny or truble against the foirsaid congregatioun. Onto the quhilk holy woord and congregatioun we do joyne us, and also dois forsaike and renunce the congregatioun of Sathan, with all the superstitious abominatioun and idolatrie thareof: And moreover, shall declare our selfis manifestlie ennemies thairto, be this oure faithfull promesse befoir God, testifeid to his Congregatioun, be our subscriptionis at thir presentis. . . . First, It is thought expedient, devised, and ordeaned, that in all parochines of this Realme the Commoun Prayeris be redd owklie on Sounday, and other festuall dayis, publictlie in the Paroche Kirkis, with the Lessonis of the New and Old Testament, conforme to the ordour of the Book of Common Prayeris ; And yf the curattis of the parochynes be qualified, to cause thame to reid the samyn; and yf thei be nott, or yf thei refuise, that the maist qualifeid in the parish use and read the same.' Secoundly, It is thought necessare, that doctrin, preacheing, and interpretatioun of Scriptures be had and used privatlie in qwyet houssis, without great conventionis of the people tharto, whill afterward that God move the Prince to grant publict preacheing be faithfull and trew ministeris. No. 345. The destruction at Perth, II May 1559. From a letter of Knox to Mrs. Anna Lock, 23 June 1559.— Yee hunger, I doubt not, deir Sister, to know the successe of Christ's Evangell, the things that have come to passe since my arrivall, and my expectatioun in this interprise, dangerous indeid and verie strange to worldlie men, if ye sall understand the proceidings of our Brether, the true professors of Jesus Christ, since the time that they declared themselves enemies to Antichrist. After diverse requeists made to the Queene Regent by some of the nobilitie, some barouns, and some communaltie; and after manie faire promises of her part, and yit nothing meaned by her (as the end did declare) but craft and deceate; the whole Brethrein together did consent, that the ministrie of the Word of God, and administratioun of the Sacraments, sould be erected; and that idolatrie sould be repressed, where the most part of the people sould admitt reformatioun. And so 1 1 Cecil writing to Throckmorton, 9 July 1559, says :-'The Protestants are at Edinburgh, where Lord Arskyn, one of them, has the charge of the castle. They, without violence, dissolve religious houses, directing their lands to the Crown and to ministry in the Church. The parish churches they deliver of altars and images, and receive the service of the Church of England according to King Edward's book' (Cal. State Papers, Elizabeth, Foreign, 1558-9, No. 962). was the kirk of Dundie reformed before my arrivall; publict prayers were in other places, which thing did so stirre the adversaries, that the preachers were summouned by the authoritie to answere, as criminall, before a civill judge. The day of their appearance was the 10th of May 1559, which was the 8th day after my arrivall. Being moved in conscience to give confessioune with my brethrein, after the rest of one day in Edinburgh, I prepared my self to repaire toward them; and so, upoun the third day after, I came to Dundie, where a great assemblie of brethrein was, for consultatioun what was most expedient in that doubtfull case. The conclusioun was, that the whole multitude and number of brethrein sould accompanie their preachers, and give confessioun of their faith with them; and so from Dundie, they departed to Sanct Johnstoun [Perth], whilk late before had receaved the Order of Common Prayers. But least that such a multitude might have engendered some suspicioun of resistance and rebellioun against the authoritie, one of the most grave and most wise barouns was directed to the Queene Regent with declaration of our mindes; which being understand by the Queene and her Counsell, it was required of us that the multitude sould stay, and not come to Stirline, which place was appointed to the preachers to compeir: and so sould no extremitie be used, but the summounds sould be continued till farther advisement; which being glaidlie granted of us, some of the brethrein returned to their dwelling-places. But the Queene and her Counsell, nothing mindefull of her and their promise, incontinent did call the preachers, and for laike of comperance, did exile and putt them and their assistants to the horne; which deceate being spied, the brethrein soght the nixt remedie. And first, after complaint and appellatioun frome such a deceitfull sentence, they putt to their hands to reformatioun in Sanct Johnstoun, where the places of idolatrie of Gray and Blacke Friers, and of Charter-house monkes, were made equall with the ground; all monuments of idolatrie, that could be apprehended, consumed with fire; and preests commanded, under paine of death, to desist frome their blasphemous masse.. No. 346. The assistance of England, July to Nov. 1559. (a) From Sir William Cecil to Sir James Croft, Governor of Berwick, 8 July 1559.-Has received, this 6th of July, his letter In his History of the Reformation, Knox puts the responsibility on to 'the raschall multitude', who began to seak some spoile' (Works, i. 322). |