Sir John Borthwick was a younger son of William third Lord Borthwick,
who was slain at Floddon in 1513. Sir Ralph Sadler mentions "Captain
Borthwick, Lieutenant of the French King's guard," as one of the persons
who were appointed by James the Fifth, to accompany the English
Ambassador when presented at Court in February 1539-40.--(State Papers,
vol. i. p. 19.)
On the 28th of May 1539-40, or immediately after the baptism of Prince
James, and after James the Fifth had purposed setting out on his voyage
round the Western Isles, Borthwick had been cited to appear before
Cardinal Beaton and other prelates at St. Andrews, on a charge of
heresy. In the Cardinal's absence, who accompained the King in this
expedition, Gawin Archbishop of Glasgow, and Lord Chancellor of
Scotland, presided; but Borthwick having escaped to England, he was
condemned, and excommunicated, and his effigy burnt at the market-cross
of St. Andrews.
Soon after this Borthwick wrote a defence of himself, in the form of
answers to the several articles of his accusation. It has been preserved
by Foxe, in his Latin Commentaries printed at Basil, in 1559, folio, pp.
166-179, with the title of "Actio, Processus, seu Articuli contra D.
Joan. Borthuicum, Equitem Auratum in Scotia, &c.," [1540,] to which is
prefixed an address "D. Borthuichus ad Lectorem." In the first edition
of Foxe's English "Actes and Monuments," 1564, pp. 574-586, and in 8vo.
edit. 1838, vol. v. pp. 607-621, it occurs under this title, "The Act or
Processe, or certain Articles agaynst Syr Jhon Borthuike knight, in
Scotland; with the answer and confution of the said Borthuicke; whose
Preface to the Reader here followeth, &c." But Foxe, when republishing
his work, says, "For as muche as the storye of hym, with his Articles
objected against hym, and his confutation of the same is already
expressed sufficiently in the Firste edition of Actes and Monuments, and
because he being happily deliuered out of their handes had no more but
onely his picture burned, referring the reader to the booke above
mentioned, we wyll now, (the Lord willing,) prosecute such other as
followed, &c."--(3d edition, 1576, p. 1230.)
After the Reformation, Borthwick brought an action of Declarator before
John Wynram, Superintendent of Fife, (who, as Sub-prior of St. Andrews,
had sat, in 1540, as one of his judges,) 20th of August 1561, and on the
5th of September following, the Articles and Sentence were reversed. The
Process of Declarator, embodying the original Sentence and Articles
extracted from the Register of Cardinal Beaton, is printed in the
Bannatyne Miscellany, vol. i. pp. 251-263. See also Calderwood's Hist.
vol. i. pp. 114-123; Keith's Hist. vol. i. p. 20; Lyon's St. Andrews,
vol. i. pp. 288-290.--"This worthie knight, (says Calderwood,) ended his
aige with fulnesse of daies at St. Andrewes." This took place before
1570, when William Borthwick is mentioned as son and heir of the late
Sir John Borthwick of Cinery.
No. IX.