yoke of that wretched woman, the mother of all mischief, and in her place didst erect her son, and to supply his infancy thou didst appoint a Regent endued with such graces as the devil himself cannot accuse or justly convict him—this only excepted -that foolish pity did so far prevail in him concerning execution and punishment which Thou commanded to have been executed upon her and upon her complices, the murderers of her husband. . . Thy image, Lord, did so clearly shine in that personage that the devil and the wicked to whom he is prince could not abide it. . . O Lord if Thy mercy pre vent us not we cannot escape just condemnation, for that Scotland hath spared and England hath maintained the life of that most wretched woman. Oppose thy power, O Lord, to the pride of that cruel murderer of her own husband," &c. &c. (McCrie, vol. 2, p. 452.)

Careful researches have shown that when Knox raved thus he was uttering falsehoods and calumnies in the presence of the Omniscient searcher of hearts, and considering his intimate relations with many of the actual conspirators against Darnley, we very much fear that he knew it. Certainly the English Commissioners at York, in October 1568, after hearing all the charges and proofs against Mary that malice could invent or ingenuity forge, adduced by Murray and his confederates, reported to Elizabeth that they were insufficient, and that the Queen of Scots had been too hardly dealt with. Testimonials from such a source and under such circumstances, must surely more than counterbalance the interested accusations of "Master John."

The Earl of Lennox was next made Regent, and some advan tages were gained over the Queen's forces. Dumbarton castle was taken by stratagem, and the Archbishop of S. Andrews (Hamilton) hanged to expiate Murray's assassination. Stirling was in its turn surprised by Lord Claude Hamilton, in September, 1571, and Lennox made prisoner, and slain in retaliation.

The Earl of Mar, a mild and amiable nobleman, succeeded, but overcome by the weight and cares of office he died in October, 1572.

The infamous Morton was next appointed, and held the office for several years. He was at last beheaded for his share

in the murder of Darnley, and by an instrument of his own invention, called the Maiden, which seems to have been the precursor of the guillotine. Kirkaldy of Grange, was hanged, Lethington poisoned himself, and many others of distinction came to violent ends. Truly Nemesis raged among the votaries of sedition and treason.

But we must go back a little and attend to the affairs of the kirk.

A convention of estates was held in July, 1567, from which the loyal nobility absented themselves. Murray's faction, therefore, had everything their own way. The acts made in the parliament of 1560 for abolishing the Pope's supremacy and concerning the Reformed religion were confirmed. Provision was made for the better support of the ministers. It was agreed that in the first lawful Parliament to be held, the kirk should be put in possession of the ecclesiastical estates; that crimes and offences should be punished; that the nobles, barons, and other professors should employ their whole forces and power for the punishment of those concerned in the horrible and odious murder of the late King; and also defend the prince against all injury: also that they should convene in arms for the suppression of idolatry, and remove all idolaters and others not admitted to the preaching of the Word from all Church functions, and appoint in their places superintendents, ministers, and other needful members of the Church. "How they performed their promises," says Knox, with amusing naiveté, "God knows!"

The first Parliament of James, as it is called, met in December, and ratified the acts concerning religion, and the confession of faith, but passed over the book of discipline. It was also determined to keep the Queen perpetually imprisoned, in spite of the pulpit thunderings of Knox and the clamours of Buchanan, who insisted that she should be put to death.

In 1569 four Romish priests were condemned to death for celebrating mass, but the sentence was commuted to being baited at the stake, and they were accordingly pelted by the rabble at Stirling for an hour, and then their books and vestments were burned. Mother Micneven was burned as a witch, after a solemn address from the Regent! and William Stuart, Lyon, king at arms, was hanged for necromancy, but in reality for his uncompromising fidelity to his sovereign.

It is stated that in the year 1571 the number of ministers in the Knoxian kirk was 252, of exhorters 157, and of lay readers 508. Few of these had received valid ordination. The administration of the sacraments for the whole county of Peebles was committed to one minister (Stephen, vol. 1. 227). Fergu son, minister of Dumferline, in a sermon before the assembly (January 1572) says: "The same accusations and complaints that GOD used of old by His prophet against the Jews, serve against them that are like the Jews in transgression; yea, they serve against us. For this day CHRIST is spoiled among us, while that which ought to maintain the ministry of the kirk and the poor is given to profane men, flatterers in court, ruffians and hirelings; the poor, in the meantime, are oppressed with hunger, the kirks and temples decaying for lack of ministers and upholding, and the schools utterly neglected (p.231). Such were the effects of eleven years' working of the wonderful plan of Knox.

The assembly which met at Leith in January 1572, appointed six commissioners, who adopted another scheme, after conference with the Regent and council, which it was supposed would tend to remedy the disorders unhappily prevalent. It was ordered that the archbishoprics and bishoprics presently void, should be disposed to the most qualified of the ministry. 2. That the spiritual jurisdiction should be exercised by the bishops in their dioceses. 3. That all abbots, priors, &c., presented to benefices, should be tried by the bishop or superintendent as to their qualification for giving voice for the Church in Parliament, and on their collation be admitted to the benefice, and not otherwise. 4. That to the bishoprics now void or hereafter to become so, the King and the Regent should recom mend fit persons, and the election to be made by the chapters of the cathedral churches. 5. That all benefices of cure under prelacies should be disposed of to actual ministers and none others. 6. That the minister should receive ordination from the bishop of the diocese, and where no bishop was yet placed from the superintendent of the bounds. 7. The bishops at the ordination of ministers to exact from them an oath for acknowledging the King's authority and of canonical obedience to the ordinary. (Spottiswood, p. 260.)

This was, in form, returning to the ancient system of polity; but unfortunately the bishops appointed were destitute of a valid ordination. John Douglas was appointed Archbishop of St. Andrews, James Boyd of Glasgow, James Paton to Dunkeld, and Andrew Graham to Dumblane. Douglas was admitted to his new office by the assembly at Perth, in Augnst, and Knox preached the sermon. By compact with the Earl of Morton the greater part of the revenues of the See were to be paid to him; and like arrangements were made by some, if not all, of the other bishops with their noble patrons. Hence they were called Tulchan bishops; the Tulchan being a calfskin stuffed with straw, placed beside a cow to make her yield her milk. Another reason alleged was, that by the constitution of Scotland, bishops and the other high dignitaries were one of the estates of Parliament, and that it was necessary to retain the order.

The articles above mentioned were ratified by the Assembly, at Perth, with a protestation that by the use of the above names they did not mean to ratify or consent to any kind of papistry, or superstition, and wished them to be changed for others not scandalous and offensive. Also, that they were only to be received ad interim till a further and more perfect order could be obtained from the king's regent and nobility.

Knox ended his turbulent career on the 24th November, in the same year. We shall conclude with some extracts from McCrie, touching his appearance and character.

"He was of small stature and a weakly habit of body" (vol. 2, p. 261), but “so active and vigourous that he was like to ding the pulpit in blads and fly out of it" (p. 208). This a French author understands to mean that he actually broke his pulpit and jumped into the midst of his auditors!

"He approached nearest to Calvin in his religious sentiments, in the severity of his manners, and in a certain impressive air of melancholy which pervaded his character" (p. 260). "His passions were strong; he felt with the utmost keenness every subject which interested him; and as he felt, he expressed himself, without disguise and without affectation. The warmth of his zeal was apt to betray him into intemperate language; his inflexible adherence to his opinions inclined to obstinacy;

and his independence of mind occasionally assumed the appearance of haughtiness and disdain" (p. 254).

Archbishop Spottiswood states in his favour that "he was always urging the obedience of ministers to their superintendents"; and “that the History of the Church ascribed commonly to him, was not his work, but his name supposed to gain it credit. . . . . A greater injury could not be done to the fame of that worthy man than to father upon him the ridiculous toys and malicious detractions contained in that book." (p. 267. Ed. Lond. 1677.)

We should be very glad to take this in its broadest sense, were it possible, and suppose that the scandalous accounts to which we have referred in the earlier part of this paper were not written by him, but are rank forgeries. But on compar ing them with the acknowledged effusions of Knox, we find so many points of resemblance, that we are compelled to believe that these portions of the work were either composed by him, or derived from his statements, and drawn up under his direction.

ONWARD.

"ONWARD!" is the watchword of the age. Forgetting the things that are behind, it presses on to some sort of destiny. Never was man more full of nerve, and muscle, and blood. Every inch of him glows with irrepressible energy; and nowhere in soul, mind, or spirit, is there a fibre of his being that is not wide awake. He has become a very locomotive to the train of the world's history, and his spirit boils within him, impatient to be gone. In such a case, to obstruct his career is to trap him into murderous disaster; to vent his pent-up spirit on the undirected winds of private opinion, is a wicked waste of vitality; and to force down the safety-valve with the stern weight of authority, is plainly suicidal. The only alternative is to yield him a track where right and duty call, and then to freight him consciously with the vast responsibilities to the past, the present, and the future, which he must drag after him. In this way alone can you both guide his