In March, 1560-1, Mr. John Spottiswood was admitted superintendant of Lothian by Mr. Knox. And the same year, August 20, 1561, the queen arrived at Leith from France. From her first arrival, her majesty set up a private mass in her own chapel, which afterwards, by her protection and countenance, was much more frequented: this excited the zeal of Mr. Knox, who expressed himself with great warmth against allowing it; and an act of the privy council being proclaimed at the market cross of Edinburgh, forbidding any disturbance to be given to this practice under pain of death, on the 25th of that month, Mr. Knox openly in his sermon the Sunday following declared, that "one mass was more frightful to him, than ten thousand armed enemies, landed in any part of the realm." This freedom of speech gave great offence to the court, and the queen herself had a long conference with him upon that and other subjects. In this conference her majesty having charged him with writing the "Blast," he avowed it, and then proceeded thus: "I hear that an Englishman hath written against it, but I have not read him. If he hath sufficiently improved my reasons, and established his contrary proposi tions with as evident testimonies as I have done mine, I shall not be obstinate, but shall confess my error and ignorance. But to this hour I have thought, and yet think myself alone to be more able to sustain the things affirmed in that my work, than any ten in Europe shall be able to confute it." The queen likewise charged him with denying her just authority: to which he pleads the privilege of the learned in all ages, and cites Plato in particular, who had publicly taught doctrines contrary to the common opinion without disturbing the society, bearing with patience the errors and imperfections which they could not amend. In 1562, we find him employed in reconciling the earls of Bothwell and Arran, which is an evidence how much he was regarded by the most eminent persons of the kingdom, and how much interest he had with them. The same year, the queen being informed that her uncles were like to recover their former interests at the court of France, received the news with great joy: Mr. Knox hearing of her behaviour, and apprehending that the power of the queen's relations would produce dismal effects, in prejudice of the Reformed interest in these parts, thought fit to preach a sermon, wherein "he taxed the ignorance, vanity, and de

spite of princes, against all virtue, and against all those in whom hatred of vice and love of virtue appeared." This and other expressions, in reproof of dancing for joy at the displeasure taken against God's people, coming to the ears of the queen, her majesty sent for him, and had a second conference with him. The message was sent by Alexander Cockburne, who had been formerly his scholar, and the conference ended with the queen's declaring, she had been misinformed. This year he was appointed, by the general assembly, commissioner to the counties of Kyle and Galloway; and, by his influence, several of the most eminent gentlemen of Kyle, Cunningham, and Carrick, entered into a bond or covenant at Air, either the same or one similar to that entered into at Edinburgh, in 1557, which was subscribed September 14, 1562.

Mr. Knox went from the shire of Air to Nithsdale and Galloway, and had several conferences about matters of great importance with the master of Maxwell; and from this county he wrote to the duke of Chatelherault, giving him cautions both against the bishop of St. Andrew's and the earl of Huntley, whose counsels he judged might prove prejudicial to the Reformed interest. At this time he accepted a challenge made by an eminent person among the Papists, a Mr. Quintin Kennedy, a son of the house of Cassils, to a public dispute about the mass, which was held in the village of Maybole, in Carrick, and continued for the space of three days, and was afterwards printed.

In the beginning of the queen's first parliament, in May, 1563, Mr. Knox endeavoured to excite the earl of Murray to appear with zeal and courage, to get the articles of Leith established by law; but finding him cooler than he expected, there followed a breach between them, which continued for a year and a half. And after the bill was rejected, the parliament not being dissolved, he preached a sermon before a great many of the members, in which he expressed his sense of that matter with vehemency, and at the close declared his abhorrency of the queen's marrying a Papist. This gave great offence to the court; and her majesty, sending for him, expressed much passion, and thought to have punished him, but was prevailed upon to desist at that time.

The ensuing year, lord Darnley being married to the queen, was advised by the Protestants about court to hear

Mr.

Mr. Knox preach, as thinking it would contribute much to procure the good will of the people. At their desire he went, on August 19, to the high church, but was so much offended at the sermon, that he complained to the council, who immediately ordered Mr. Knox before them, and forbade him to preach for several days. His text was in Isaiah xxvi. 13-17. “O Lord our God, other lords than thou have reigned over us," &c. From these words he took occasion to speak of the government of wicked princes, who for the sins of the people are sent as tyrants and Scourges to plague them.

The general assembly, which met in December this year in their fourth session, appointed Mr. Knox to draw up a consolatory letter in their name, to encourage ministers, exhorters, and readers, to continue in their vocations, which many under great temptation to leave for want of subsistence, and to exhort the professors of the realm to supply their necessities. He was also appointed by this assembly to visit, preach, and plant, the kirks of the south, till the next assembly, and to remain as long as he could at that work.

Mr. Knox requested the general assembly, which met at Edinburgh in December, 1566, that he might have leave to go to England to visit two of his sons, probably then at school, and for necessary affairs in that kingdom. Before he set out, he had ample testimonials from the assembly of his life, doctrine, and usefulness, and was by them recommended to all to whom he should come. The assembly limited his abode in England to the meeting of the next ge neral assembly, to be held in June following. The general assembly being informed, that some worthy and learned divines in England were prosecuted by the bishops, because they refused to use the habits appointed by law for churchmen, caused a letter to be written and sent by Mr. Knox, in which with great earnestness they intreated, that they might deal gently with such ministers as scrupled the use of those vestments.

In 1567, Mr. Knox preached a sermon at the coronation of king James the Sixth of Scotland, and afterwards the First of Great Britain. This sermon is much commended by Buchanan in his History of Scotland. This year was very remarkable in Scotland, upon account of the great turn of affairs there by queen Mary's resigning the govern

ment,

ment, and by the appointment of the earl of Murray to be regent. The first parliament which was called by the earl met on December 15. It was a very numerous convention of all the estates, and Mr. Knox preached a very zealous sermon at the opening of it; and he was extremely afflicted at the regent's death in 1569.

In 1571, the Hamiltons and others, who had entered into a combination against the earl of Lenox, then regent, began to fortify the town of Edinburgh. While they were thus employed, a council was held by them in the castle on May 4, where the laird of Grainge, captain of the castle, proposed that they might give security for the person of Mr. Knox, which was also much desired by the town's-people. The Hamiltons answered, that they could not promise him security upon their honour, because there were many in the town who loved him not, besides other disorderly people, that might do him harm without their knowledge. Upon this answer, which plainly shewed no good intention to Mr. Knox, his friends in the town, with Mr. Craig his colleague at their head, intreated him to leave the place, by reason of the impending danger to him, and to them too upon his account, in defending him from the attempts of the contrary party; which, being also the strongest, would most probably be able to execute their designs against him. Accordingly, leaving Edinburgh on May 5, he went first to Abbotshall in Fife, and then to St. Andrew's, where he remained till August 23, 1572.

That year there was a convention of the ministers at Leith, where it was agreed, that a certain kind of episcopacy should be introduced into the church, which was zealously opposed by Mr. Knox. The matter stood thus: the courtiers had got the far greater part of the revenues of the bishoprics, but they could not get a colourable title to these rents, as the law then stood, except they had a conveyance from those who had the title of bishops; for this reason it was thought a good expedient by the great ones, who had a longing mind to enjoy the profits of the bishoprics, that this sort of bishops should be brought into the church, and indeed all of them, by certain pactions, conveyed the far greater part of the revenues to their patrons, -reserving a very small part to themselves. Among the rest, the archbishopric of St. Andrew's coming to the share of the earl of Morton, that nobleman designed Mr. John

Douglass,

Douglass, rector of the university there, in whom his lordship had an entire confidence, to be elected to that see: for this purpose the electors were convened Feb. 8, 157, where, after some opposition, he was elected archbishop. Mr. Knox being then in St. Andrew's, was much displeased with this election; and the next Lord's day, being to preach in the forenoon where the earl of Morton was present, he not only peremptorily refused to inaugurate and receive the new-elected bishop, but publicly denounced an anathema both to the giver and receiver of this bishopric. Notwithstanding this opposition, Mr. Douglass was admitted archbishop according to the order for admitting superintendants and ministers; for they had not as yet framed any particular form for admitting bishops. Mr. J. Rutherford, provost of the Old College of St. Andrew's, and Messrs. Archibald and John Hamilton, professors in the New College, spread a report next week, that Mr. Knox's opposition to the bishops proceeded from a pique that he was not elected himself. This coming to his ears, he vindicated himself from the pulpit next Lord's day in words to the following purpose: "I have refused a far greater bishopric than ever it was, which I might have had with the favour of greater men than ever he had his; I did and do repine, not from malcontent, but for the discharge of my conscience, that the kirk of Scotland be not subject to that order." This seems to refer to the offer that we have observed was made him of a bishopric in England in Edward VIth's time.

The troubles of the country being much abated, and the people of Edinburgh, who had been obliged to leave it, being returned, they sent two of their number, viz. Nicol, Edward and John Johnston, scribe, to St. Andrew's, to invite Mr. Knox to return to them, and to ask his advice about the choice of another minister to assist him during the time of the troubles: for they were exceedingly displeased with the conduct of Mr. Craig during the times of the troubles, he having made too great compliance, as they thought, with those who appeared against the authority of the young king and his regents, and were unwilling any longer to submit to his ministers. With their commissioners they sent a letter, inviting him to return. The superintendant of Lothian was with them, when they presented the letter; which, when Mr. Knox had perused, he consented to return upon this condition, that he should not

be