1559. CHAP. was fo imprudent, after this fermon, as to open his XXXIX repofitory of images and reliques, and prepare himself to fay mafs. The audience, exalted to a difpofition for any furious enterprize, were as much enraged as if the spectacle had not been quite familiar to them: They attacked the priest with fury, broke the images in pieces, tore the pictures, overthrew the altars, fcattered about the facred vases; and left no implement of idolatrous worship, as they termed it, entire or undefaced. They thence proceeded, with additional numbers, and augmented rage, to the monasteries of the grey and black friars, which they pillaged in an inftant: The Carthufians underwent the fame fate: And the populace, not content with robbing and expelling the monks, vented their fury on the buildings, which had been the receptacles of fuch abomination; and in a little time nothing but the walls of thefe edifices was left ftanding. The inhabitants of Couper in Fife foon after imitated the example R Civil wars in Scotland. THE queen-regent, provoked at thefe violences, affembled an army, and prepared to chastise the rebels. She had about two thousand French under her command, with a few Scottish troops; and being affifted with fuch of the nobility as were well affected to her, the pitched her camp within ten miles of Perth. Even the earl of Argyle, and lord James Stuart, prior of St. Andrews, the queen's natural brother, though deeply engaged with the reformers, attended the regent in this enterprize, either because they blamed the fury of the populace, or hoped by their influence and authority to mediate fome agreement between the parties. The congregation, on the other hand, made preparations for defence; and being joined by the earl of Glencarne from the weft, and being countenanced by many of the nobility and gentry, -they appeared formidable from their numbers, as well as from the zeal, by which they were animated. They fent an addrefs to the regent, wherein they plainly infiruated, that, if they were pursued to extremities, by the cruel beafts, the churchmen, they would have recourse to foreign powers for affiftance; and they fubfcribed themfelves her faithful fubjects in all things not repugnant to God; affuming, at the fame time, the name of R Spotfwood, p. 121. Knox, p. 127. the the faithful congregation of Chrift Jefuss. They ap- CHA P. plied to the nobility attending her, and maintained, that XXXIX. their own paft violences were juftified by the word of God, which commands the godly to destroy idolatry, 1559. and all the monuments of it; that though all civil authority was facred, yet was there a great difference between the authority and the perfons who exercised it": and that it ought to be confidered whether or not those abominations, called by the peftilent papists, religion, and which they defend by fire and fword, be the true religion of Chrift Jesus. They remonstrated with such of the queen's army as had formerly embraced their party, and told them, "That as they were already re puted traitors by God, they should likewise be excom"municated from their fociety, and from the participa"tion of the facraments of the church, which God by "his mighty power had erected among them; whole "minifters have the fame authority which Christ granted to his apostles in these words, Whofe fins ye shall forgive fhall be forgiven, and whose fins ye shall retain hall be retained" We may here fee, that these new faints were no lefs lofty in their pretenfions than the antient hierarchy; and it was therefore no wonder they were enraged against the latter as their rivals in dominion. They joined to all these declarations an addrefs to the eftablished church; and they affixed this title to it. "To the generation of antichrift, the peftilent prelates "and their favelings in Scotland, the congregation of "Chrift Jefus within the fame fayeth." The tenor of the manifefto was fuitable to the title. They told the ecclefiaftics," As ye by tyranny intend not only to destroy our bodies, but also by the fame to hold our fouls in bondage of the devil, fubject to idolatry; so shall we, "with all the force and power which God fhall grant unto us, execute juft vengeance and punishment upon you: Yea, we shall begin the fame war which "God commanded Ifrael to execute against the Ca"naanites: that is, contract of peace fhall never be "made, till you defift from your open idolatry, and "cruel perfecution of God's children. And this in the name of the eternal God, and of his fon, Christ 66 66 X T Ibid, p. 131. s Knox, p. 129. * A contemptuous term for a priest. Jefus, U Ibid. p. 133. 1559. CHAP." Jefus, whose verity we profefs, and Gospel we have XXXIX. " preached, and holy facraments rightly adminiftered, "we fignify unto you, to be our intent, fo far as God "will affift us to withstand your idolatry. Take this "for warning, and be not deceived Y."" With these outrageous symptoms, commenced in Scotland that cant, hypocrify, and fanaticism, which long infested that kingdom, and which, though now mollified by the lenity of the civil power, is ftill ready to break out on all occafi ons. THE queen-regent, finding fuch obftinate zeal in the rebels, was content to embrace the counfels of Argyle and the prior of St. Andrews, and to form an accommodation with them. She was received into Perth, which fubmitted, on her promifing an indemnity for past offences, and engaging not to leave any French garrifon in the place. Complaints, very ill-founded, immediately arofe concerning the infraction of this capitulation. Some of the inhabitants, it was pretended, were molested on account of the late violences; and fome companies of Scotch foldiers, fuppofed to be in French pay, were quartered in the town; which step, though taken on a very plausible pretence, was loudly exclaimed against by the congregation Z. It is afferted, that the regent, to justify these measures, declared, that princes ought not to have their promises too ftri&tly urged upon them; nor was any faith to be kept with heretics: And that for her part, could the find as good a colour of reason, she would willingly bereave all these men of their lives and fortunes A. But it was no wife likely, that such expreffions dropped from this prudent and virtuous princess. On the contrary, it appears, that all thefe violences were disagreeable to her; that the was in this particular over-ruled by the authority of the French counsellors placed about her; and that the often thought, if the management of these affairs had been entrusted wholly to herself, fhe could easily, without force, have accommodated all differences B THE Congregation, inflamed with their own zeal, and enraged by these disappointments, remained not long y Keith, p. 85, 86, 87. Knox, p. 134. 139. in z Knox, p. See note at the 1559. in tranquillity. Even before they left Perth, and while CHA P. as yet they had no colour to complain of any violation XXXIX. of treaty, they had signed a new covenant, in which, besides their engagements to mutual defence, they vowed, in the name of God, to employ their whole power in destroying every thing that difhonoured his holy name; and this covenant was fubfcribed, among others, by Argyle and the prior of St. Andrews C. These two leaders now defired no better pretence for deferting the regent and openly joining their affociates, than the complaints, however doubtful, or rather falfe, of her breach of promife. The congregation alfo, encouraged by this acceffion of force, gave themselves up entirely to the furious zeal of Knox, and renewed at Crail, Anstruther, and other places in Fife, like depredations on the churches and monafteries with those formerly committed at Perth and Couper. The regent, who marched against them with her army, finding their power fo much encreased, was glad to conclude a truce for a few days, and to pass over with her forces to the Lothians. The reformers befieged and took Perth; proceeded thence to Stirling, where they exercised their ufual fury; and finding nothing able to to refift them, they bent their march to Edinburgh, the inhabitants of which, as they had already anticipated the zeal of the congregation against the churches and monafteries, gladly opened their gates to them. The regent, with the few forces which remained with her, took fhelter in Dunbar, where the fortified herself, in expectation of a reinforcement from France. MEANWHILE, fhe employed her partizans in reprefenting to the people the dangerous confequences of this open rebellion; and the endeavoured to convince them, that the lord James, under pretence of religion, had formed the fcheme of wrefting the fceptre from the hands of the fovereign. By these confiderations many were engaged to defert the army of the congregation; but much more by the want of pay or any means of subsistence: and the regent, obferving the malcontents to be much weakened, ventured to march to Edinburgh, with a defign of fuppreffing them. On the interpofition of the duke of Chatelraut, who ftill adhered to her, fhe agreed to a capitulation, in which the granted a them toleration c Keith, p. 89. Knox, p. 138. of CHAP. of their religion, and they engaged to commit no farXXXIX. ther depredations on the churches. Soon after, they evacuated the city of Edinburgh; and before they left it, 1559. they proclaimed the articles of agreement; but they took care to publish only the articles favourable to themselves, and they were guilty of an imposture, in adding one to the number, namely, that idolatry should not again be erected in any place where it was at that time fuppreffed D. AN agreement concluded, while men's minds were in this difpofition, could not be durable; and both fides endeavoured to strengthen themselves, as much as poffible, against the enfuing rupture, which appeared inevitable. The regent, having got a reinforcement of 1000. men from France, began to fortify Leith; and the congregation feduced to their party the duke of Chatelraut, who had long appeared inclined to join them, and he was at laft determined by the arrival of his fon, the earl of Arran, from France, where he had escaped many dangers, from the jealousy, as well as bigotry, of Henry and the duke of Guife. More French troops foon after difembarked, under the command of La-Broffe, who was followed by the bishop of Amiens, and three doctors of the Sorbonne. Thefe, laft were fupplied with store of fyllogifms, authorities, citations, and fcholaftic arguments, which they intended to oppofe to the Scotch preachers, and which, they justly prefumed, would acquire force, and operate conviction on men's minds, by the influence of French arms and artillery E. THE Conftable Montmorency had always oppofed the marriage of the Dauphin with the queen of Scots, and had foretold, that, by forming fuch close connexions with Scotland, the antient league would be diffolved; and the natives of that kingdom, jealous of a foreign yoke, would foon become, instead of allies, attached by intereft and inclination, the most inveterate enemies to the French government. But though the event feemed now to have juftified the prudence of that aged minifter, it is not improbable, confidering the violent counfels, by which France was governed, that the infurrection. was deemed a favourable event; as affording a pretence, for D See note at the end of the volume. 134. Thuan. lib. xx v. c. 10. E' Spotswood, p. |