The trial and condemnation of this venerable priest has been noticed by
all our ecclesiastical historians--including George Buchanan, and
Lindesay of Pitscottie. See Knox, supra, p. 308; Calderwood, vol. i. p.
337; Spottiswood, p. 95; Howie's Scots Worthies, &c. The account
preserved by Foxe, is however the most minute and interesting.
In his earlier years Myln had travelled in Germany, and afterwards
became priest of the church of Lunan, in Angus. Information having been
laid against him for refusing to say Mass in the time of Cardinal
Beaton, he abandoned his cure; but after many years had elapsed, he was
taken in the town of Dysart, in Fife, and carried to St. Andrews, where
after the trial, as recorded in the following extracts, he was condemned
to the flames, on the 28th April 1558. Buchanan, who calls him "a priest
of no great learning," erroneously places his death in April 1559. All
the authorities concur in describing him as a decrepit old man of
eighty-two years of age; but no notice is taken of the circumstance that
during the later period of his life, probably while in retirement, he
had married; and that his widow survived him many years. This appears
from a payment in the Accounts of the Collector General of Thirds of
Benefices, 1573, when there was paid "To the relict of umquhile Walter
Myln, according to the allowance of the old comptis, £6, 13s. 4d."
"THE MARTYRDOME OF THE BLESSED SERUAUNT OF GOD, WALTER MILLE.
"Among the rest of the Martyrs of Scotland, the marueilous constancie of
Walter Mille is not to be passed ouer with silence. Out of whose ashes
sprang thousandes of his opinion and religion in Scotland, who
altogether chose rather to dye, then to be any longer ouertroden by the
tyranny of the foresayd, cruell, ignoraunt, and beastly Byshops, Abbots,
Monkes, and Friers, and so began the congregation of Scotland to debate
the True Religion of Christ agaynst the Frenchmen and Papistes, who
sought alwayes to depresse and keepe downe the same: for it began soon
after the Martyrdome of Walter Mille, of the which the forme hereafter
followeth.
In the yeare of our Lord, 1558, in the tyme of Mary Duches of Longawayll
Queene Regent of Scotland, and the sayd John Hamelton beyng Byshop of S.
Andrewes, and Primate of Scotland, this Walter Mille (who in his youth
had bene a papist) after that he had bene in Almaine, & had heard the
doctrine of the Gospell, he returned agayne into Scotland, and setting
aside all Papistry and compelled chastitie, maryed a wife, whiche thyng
made him vnto the Byshops of Scotland to be suspected of heresie: and
after long watchyng of hym hee was taken by two Popishe Priestes, one
called sir George Straqwhen, and the other sir Hew Turry,[1075]
seruauntes to the sayd Byshop for the tyme, within the town of Dysart in
Fiffe, and brought to S. Andrewes and imprisoned in the Castle thereof.
He beyng in prison, the Papistes earnestly trauailed and laboured to
haue seduced him, and threatned him with death and corporall tormentes,
to the entent they would cause him to recant and forsake the truth. But
seyng they could profit nothyng thereby, and that he remained still
firme and constaunt, they laboured to perswade him by fayre promises,
and offere vnto hym a Monkes portion for all the dayes of his lyfe, in
the Abbaye of Dunfermelyng, so that hee would denye the thynges he had
taught, and graunt that they were heresie: but he continuyng in the
truth euen vnto the end, despised their threatnynges and fayre promises.
Then assembled together the byshops of S. Andrewes, Murray, Brechin,
Caitnes, and Atheins, the Abbots of Dunfermelyng, Landors, Balindrinot,
and Cowper, with Doctours of Theologie of S. Andrewes, as John Greson
Blacke Frier, and Dane John Uynrame Suppriour of S. Andrewes, William
Cranston Provost of the old Colledge, with diuers others, as sondry
Friers black & gray. These being assembled and hauyng consulted
together, he was taken out of prison and brought to the Metropolitane
church where he was put in a Pulpit before the Bishops to be accused,
the 20. day of Aprill. Beyng brought vnto the church and climyng vp to
the Pulpit, they seyng him so weake and feeble of person, partly by age
and trauaile, & partly by euill intreatment, that without helpe he could
not clime vp, they were in dispayre not to haue heard him for weakenesse
of voyce. But when he began to speake, he made the Churche to ryng and
sounde agayne, with so great courage & stoutnes, that the Christians
which were present, were no lesse rejoyced, then the aduersaries were
confounded and ashamed. He beyng in the Pulpit, and on his knees at
Prayer, sir Andrew Oliphant one of the Byshops Priestes, commanded hym
to arise and to aunswere to his Articles, saying on this manner: sir
Walter Mille, arise and aunswere to the Articles, for you hold my Lord
here ouer long. To whom Walter after he had finished his prayer,
aunswered saying: we ought to obey God more then men, I serue one more
mighty, euen the omnipotent Lord: and where you call me Sir Walter, they
call me Walter, and not Sir Walter, I haue bene ouer long one of the
Pope's Knightes. Now say what thou hast to say.
THESE WERE THE ARTICLES WHEREOF HE WAS ACCUSED, WITH HIS
AUNSWERS VNTO THE SAME.
OLIPHANT. What thincke you of Priestes mariage.
MILLE. I hold it a blessed band, for Christ himselfe maintained it, and
approued the same, and also made it free to all men: but ye thinke it
not free to you: ye abhorre it, and in the meane tyme take other mens
wiues and daughters, & will not keepe the bande that God hath made. Ye
vow chastitie, & breake the same. S. Paule had rather marry than burne:
the whiche I haue done, for God forbad neuer mariage to any man, of what
state or degree so euer he were.
OLIPH. Thou sayest there is not vij. sacramentes.
MILLE. Geue me the Lordes supper and Baptisme, and take you the rest, &
part them among you: For if there be vij. why haue you omitted one of
them, to wit, mariage, & geue your selues to sclaunderous and ungodly
whoredome.
OLIPH. Thou art agaynst the blessed sacrament of the aultar, and sayest,
that the Masse is wrong, and is Idolatry.
MILLE. A Lord or a Kyng sendeth & calleth many to a dyner, and when the
dyner is in readynesse, he causeth to ryng a bell, and the men come to
the hall, and sit downe to be partakers of the dyner, but the Lord
turnyng his backe vnto them eateth all himselfe, and mocked them: so do
ye.
OLIPH. Thou denyest the sacrament of the aultar to be the very body of
Christ really in flesh and bloud.
MILLE. The very scripture of God is not to be taken carnally but
spiritually, and standeth in fayth onely: & as for the Masse, it is
wrong, for Christ was once offered on the Crosse for mans trespasse, and
will neuer be offered agayne, for then he ended all sacrifice.
OLIPH. Thou denyest the office of a Byshop.
MILLE. I affirme that they whom ye call Byshops, do no Byshops workes,
nor vse the offices of bishops, (as Paul byddeth writyng to Timothy,)
but lyue after their owne sensuall pleasure and take no care of the
flocke, nor yet regarde they the word of God, but desire to be honored
and called, my Lordes.
OLIPH. Thou speakest agaynst pilgrimage, and callest it a pilgrimage to
whoredome.
MILLE. I affirm that, and say that it is not commanded in the scripture,
and that there is no greater whoredome in no places, then at your
pilgrimages, except it be in common brothells.
OLIPH. Thou preachest quietly and priuatly in houses and openly in the
fieldes.
MILLE. Yea man, and on the sea also sailyng in shyp.
OLIPH. Wilt thou not recant thyne erroneous opinions, and if thou wilt
not, I will pronounce sentence agaynst thee.
MILLE. I am accused of my lyfe: I know I must dye once, & therfore as
Christ said to Judas: _Quod facis, fac citíus_. Ye shall know that I wil
not recant the truth, for I am corne, I am no chaffe, I wil not be
blowen away with the winde nor burst with the flaile, but I will abyde
both.
* * * * *
These thynges rehearsed they of purpose, with other light trifles, to
augment their finall accusation, and then Sir Andrew Oliphant pronounced
sentence agaynst him that he should be deliuered to the temporall judge,
and punished as an hereticke, which was to be burnt. Notwithstandyng his
boldnes and constauncie moued so the hartes of many, that the Byshop's
Stuard of his regalitie, Prouest of the towne called Patrike Learmond,
refused to be his temporall judge: to whom it appertained if the cause
had been just. Also the Byshop's Chamberlaine beyng therewith charged,
would in no wise take vppon hym so vngodly an office. Yea the whole
Towne was so offended with his unjust condemnation, that the Byshop's
seruauntes could not get for their money so much as one cord to tye him
to the stake, or a tarre barrell to burne him, but were constrained to
cut the cordes of their maistors owne pauillon to serue their turne.
Neuerthelesse one seruaunt of the Byshop's more ignoraunt and cruell
then the rest, called Alexander Symmerwyll, enterprising the office of a
temporall judge in that part, conueyed him to the fire, where agaynst
all naturall reason of man, his boldnes and hardynes did more & more
increase: so that the spirite of GOD workyng miraculously in hym, made
it manifest to the people that his cause and Articles were just and he
innocently put downe.
Now when all thynges were ready for his death and he conueyed with armed
men to the fire, Oliphant bad hym passe to the stake: and he sayd, nay,
but wilt thou put me vp with thy hand and take part of my death, thou
shalt see me passe vp gladly, for by the law of God I am forbydden to
put handes vpon my selfe. Then Oliphant put him vp with his hand, and he
ascended gladly, saying; _Introibo ad altare Dei_, and desired that he
might haue place to speake to the people, the which Oliphant and other
of the burners denyed, saying that he had spoken ouer much, for the
Bishops were altogether offended that the matter was so long continued.
Then some of the young men committed both the burners, & the Byshops
their maisters to the deuill, saying that they beleued that they should
lament that day, and desired the sayd Walter to speake what he pleased.
And so after he had made his humble supplication to God on his knees, he
arose, and standyng vpon the coales sayd on this wise. Deare frendes,
the cause why I suffer this day is not for any crime layed to my charge
(albeit I be a miserable sinner before God) but onely for the defence of
the fayth of Jesus Christ, set forth in the new and old Testament vnto
vs, for which the as the faythful Martyrs haue offered them selues
gladly before, beyng assured after the death of their bodyes of eternall
felicitie, so this day I prayse God that he hath called me of his mercy
among the rest of his seruaunts, to seale vp his truth with my life:
which as I haue receaued it of hym, so willingly I offer it to his
glory. Therfore as you will escape the eternall death, be no more
seduced with the lyes of Priestes, Monkes, Friers, Priours, Abbots,
Byshops, and the rest of the sect of Antichrist, but depend onely vpon
Jesus Christ and his mercy, that ye may be deliuered from condemnation.
All that while there was great mournyng and lamentation of the
multitude, for they perceiuyng his patience, stoutnes, and boldnes,
constancie, and hardynes, were not onely moued and styrred vp, but
their hartes also were so inflamed, that hee was the last Martyr that
dyed in Scotland for the Religion.
After his prayer, he was hoysed vp on the stake, and beyng in the fire,
he sayd: Lord haue mercy on me: Pray people while there is tyme, and so
constauntly departed.