freshed, yea revived, with the heat and beames of our sunthe powerful adamant of our wealth-by whose removal from our hemisphere, we were darkened, deep fear and sorrow had possessed our hearts. The very hills and groves, accustomed before to be refreshed with the dew of your majesty's presence, not putting on their wonted apparel, but with pale looks representing their misery for the departure of their king!" "Receive then, dread sovereign, from your majesty's faithful and loyal subjects, the magistrates and citizens of your highnesses good town of Edinburgh, such welcome as is due from those, who with thankful hearts, do acknowledge the infinite blessings plenteously flowing to them, from the paradise of your majesty's unspotted goodness and virtue. Wishing your majesties eyes might pierce into their very hearts, there to behold the excessive joy inwardly conceived of the first messenger of your majesty's princely resolution to visit this your majesty's good town." In a similar, or even more bombastic style, did the orator continue for nearly an hour, but the citizens of the good town gave more substantial proof of their loyalty, they invited the king to a sumptuous banquet, and presented him with ten thousand merks Scots, in double golden angels, and in a gilt silver bason.

After resting a few days in Edinburgh, he resumed his progress through the principal counties, and was received wherever he went, with the most lively demonstrations of joy, with splendid pageants, and royal entertainments, and he was welcomed in classic strains in every university, city, and nobleman's mansion that he visited. Happily the Scottish muse was silent; no Caledonian bard hailed his approach, and the native poetry of the country was for a while spared the degradation of being prostituted to flatter the ear of a despot, and a pedant. But his chief delight was in scholastic disputations. He ordered all the professors of Edinburgh college, to attend at Stirling, where he presided as judge, yet mingling in the debates, and to the astonishment of his admiring courtiers, displayed his erudition and ingenuity, by occasionally defending and opposing the same thesis. His approbation was conveyed in quibbles on the professors' names,

with which he was nimself so highly charmed, that he directed them to be turned into English and Latin verse.

The principal object of James' journey to Scotland was to enforce obedience to the rites and ceremonies which he had, at the request of the bishops, withdrawn, as, from the facility with which he had changed the form of church government, he never doubted but that he would, when present, be easily able to alter the mode of worship, and for this purpose he had prepared an act, vesting almost unlimited power in his own hands, and that of the bishops. The nobles, who at this time appear to have been wholly uninterested about the fate of the church, felt a nearer concern in the fate of the church lands. They had already sufficient evidence of the rapacity, insolence, and ambition of the prelates; of their subservience to every measure of the king, and of the king's unbounded partiality for them; they therefore, and not without reason, began to entertain fears for the preservation of the rich estates which they had granted them from the spoils of the ecclesiastics at the reformation. When the parliament met, their suspicions of the king appeared in their rejecting several of the nobility whom he had recommended to be chosen lords of the articles, and electing some who were known not to be warmly attached to the court, in their room. A violent opposition was made to the admission of any officers of state, except the chancellor,

* The names of the professors were John Adamson, James Fairlie, Patrick Sands, Andrew Young, James Reid. His majesty's witty remarks were:"Adam was the father of all, and Adam's son had the first part of this act. The defender is justly called Fairlie, [wonder,] his thesis had some fairlies in it, and he sustained them very fairly, and with many fair lies given to his oppugners. And why should not Mr. Sands be the first to enter the sands? But now I see clearly that all sands are not barren, for certainly he hath shown a fertile wit. Mr. Young is very old in Aristotle. Mr. Reid need not be red with blushing for his acting this day. Mr. King disputed very kingly, and of a kingly purpose, concerning the royal supremacy of reason above anger and all passions. Charters, the principal, (he did not dispute,) his name agrees with his nature, for charters contain much matter, yet say nothing, yet put great matters in men's mouths." Some apology might, perhaps, be requisite for copying such contemptible stuff; but as James' literature has been so highly praised even by excellent judges, Bacon, Drummond, Hume, &c. I thought the reader would not be displeased to see a specimen of his taste.

treasurer, and master of rolls; and the contention arose so high, that the estates were nearly dispersing, and the king had at one time determined to dissolve the parliament; but a compromise was effected, although not till an unusually late hour at night, when the meeting broke up in bad temper, and the king and the estates went down to the palace in great confusion, some riding in their robes, and some on foot, and without the regalia being borne before them.

Having carried their main point, and secured the possession of their estates, the nobles did not appear unwilling to gratify the king by legalizing his assumed spiritual supremacy, and an act secretly passed the lords of the articles, declaring:That whatsoever his majesty should determine in the external government of the church, with the advice of the archbishops, bishops, and a competent number of the ministry, should have the force of a law; which, as the bishops were completely at his nod, and he was left judge of what was a competent number of the ministry, was committing unlimited power, in ecclesiastical affairs, into his hands. The ministers attached to presbytery obtained, through some of their friends, intelligence of the design, and prepared a protestation against any innovation. They expressed their astonishment that a proposition of this kind should have been listened to, after the bishops had assured them, that they would consent to nothing in the parliament, respecting the discipline and order of the church, without their special knowledge and advice. They pled the establishment of the church by law, and the power granted and confirmed to the assemblies by several acts of parliament, to make canons and constitutions for their reg ulation; the king's repeated promises that he would make no innovation; and what ought to have brought a blush over the royal cheek, if it had been capable of blushing, his majesty's own letter, only a few months old, which at his own command had been read in all the pulpits of the kingdom, affirming that he intended no alteration during his journey. This protesta tion was delivered to the abbot of Crosraguel to be presented to the king; but while he was waiting in an antichamber in the palace, the archbishop of St. Andrews requested to hear its purport. Scarcely, however, had Hewit commenced, when

his grace endeavoured to take it forcibly from him, and in the struggle the paper was torn. Another copy was prepared to be presented to the estates, when the bill was about to be ratified, but the king, who understood its nature, and, callous as he was, could not be altogether insensible to the shame of being so openly convicted of frequent and deliberate falsehoods, directed the article to be withdrawn as unnecessary, the prerogative of the crown conveying more extensive powers than this act was intended to confer. Chapters, however, were constituted, and the form prescribed in which they should elect to the vacant sees such bishops as his majesty might be pleased to name.

Although the obnoxious act was relinquished, and the protest was never read, those who had been active in the opposition were followed with vindictive persecution. Immediately on the dissolution of parliament, Simpson, who had signed the protestation, was summoned before the high commission, and required to deliver up the names of all the original subscribers to that deed; and because he could not produce the list, it having been previously given to Calderwood, the laborious and faithful historian of the church, he was committed prisoner to the castle of Edinburgh, and Calderwood summoned to appear before the high commission at St. Andrews, to answer for being present at a "mutinous assembly of certain of the ministry, and promoting subscriptions to a seditious protestation, in contempt of Almighty God, and the reverence he owed to his majesty, his sovereign lord!" Simpson, and Hewit, one of the ministers of Edinburgh, were both likewise ordered to attend. The king was present to superintend the proceedings of the high commission. Before the accused were called, in a speech to the court, he pointed out the mode of procedure they ought to adopt. "We took this order with the Puritans of England;" said he, they stood as long as they were deprived only of their bene

* The protestation was only signed by Simpson, in name of the protestors, whose names were on a separate paper, pledging themselves to adhere; but this paper was not intended to be produced, unless absolutely necessary, either to the king or the parliament, until the subscription of those who were absent, but friendly to the cause, had been obtained.-Calderwood, p. 676.

fices, because they preached still on, and lived upon the benevolence of the people friendly to their cause; but when we deprived them of their office, many yielded to us, and are become the best men we have. Let us take the like course with the Puritans here." Hewit and Simpson, on adhering to the protestation, were deprived and confined, the one to Dundee, and the other to Aberdeen; but Calderwood, as the more eminent, was persecuted with greater rigour. In the court, and in the presence of the king, while harassed with vexatious and ensnaring questions, he was not only reviled and threatened by the parasites who surrounded him, but jostled, tugged, shaken by the shoulders, and subjected to every method of teasing which could tend to disorder or confuse him; but he defended himself with calm, collected intrepidity, and, notwithstanding his treatment, maintained a respect toward James as his sovereign, which raises our admiration of his principles, while it excites our wonder at his patience. He was asked by the king, who most preposterously appears to have presided in a court in which he declared he had no rightful seat:-Why he dared to assist at that mutinous meeting? "When that meeting is pronounced mutinous," replied he, "then it will be time enough for me to answer that question." "Acknowledge your rashness, Mr. David," said the secretary, while numbers of those who were standing near were whispering to him-Come in the king's will; it is your best way; he'll pardon you." "What was done," answered Calderwood firmly, "was done with deliberation."

"But what moved

you to protest?" said the king. "A proposition passed the lords of the articles for cutting off our general assemblies" "Hear me, Mr. David," continued his majesty, after having asked him how long he had been a minister, "I have been an older keeper of general assemblies than you; their office is to preserve doctrine pure, prevent schisms, draw up confessions of faith, and present petitions to the king in parliament; but as for rites, ceremonies, and things indifferent, these may be concluded by the king, with advice of bishops, and a competent number of ministers." Calderwood asserted, that the general assembly had exercised all these powers for fifty-six years, and that they had already decided upon what was a