movabill and vnmovabill, pertenying to our souerane lord throw being
of the said James abiurit of heresy, &c. At Sanctandros, the xi day of
May, the ȝer forsaid (1539). [Lib. xiij. f. 4.]
{367} Ane letter maid to Johnne Henry, his airis and assignais, ane
or ma, of the gift of all gudis, movabill and vnmovabill, quhilkis
pertenit to Johnne Cameroun, burges of Perth, and now pertening to
our souerane lord, be resoun of eschete throw being of the said Johne
declarit heretyke, etc. At Sanctandros, the xxvi day of May, ye ȝer
forsaid (1539).
[Lib. xiij. f. 26.] Per Signaturam.
Ane letter maid to Johne Stewart, sone to Henry, lord Methven,
rehabilland him to stand in preif and witness, and to exerce all
lefull dedis in jugement, and outwith, and als frelie, in all thingis
as he my{t} have done befor the tyme he was convict of heresy, etc.
At Edinburgh, the xxij day of Februare, the ȝer forsaid (1539).
[Lib. xiij. f. 65, b.] Per Signaturam.
Ane letter maid to Oliuer Sinclar and his assignais, ane or maa,
of the gift of all gudis, movable and vnmovable, dettis, takkis,
obligationis, sovmes of money, and vtheris gudis quhatsumever quhilkis
pertenit to Sir David Huchesone, prouest of Rosling, and now pertening,
or ony wise sal happin or may pertene to ws, throw being of the said
Sir Dauid abiurit of certane poyntis of heresy, of the quhilkis he
was dilatit, and ane sentence of the spirituale juge gevin aganis him
þairupoun, as the same proportis, with power to the said Oliuer and
his assignais, ane or maa, to intromet and tak vp ye saidis eschete
gudis, etc. At Edinbur{t}, the xiij day of August, the ȝer foirsaid
(1540).
[Lib. xiv. f. 8, b.] Per Signaturam.
Ane letter maid to Maister Williame Arthur, citinare of Sanctandross,
his airis and assignais, of the gift of the escheit of all gudis,
movable and vnmovable, dettis, takkis, steiddingis, rowmes,
possessions, teyndis, cornis, catale, actiones, obligationis, sowmes
of money, and vtheris gudis quhatsumevir, quhilkis pertenit to George
Wynchister, cietinar of the said ciete, and now pertening to oure
souerane lady, and being in hir hienes handis be resoun of escheit
throw the said Georgeis noncomperance before ane maist reverand fader
in God, Johnne, archbishop of Sanctandros, his juge ordner, to haif
vnderlyne the law for certane crymes of herisie quhairof he was
dilaittit and convict of the samyn, and yairfore declarit heretick,
as at mair length is contenit in the sentence and proces led and gevin
aganis him þairvpone, with powar, &c. At Edinbur{h}, {368} the xiiij
day of September, the ȝeir of God, ane thousand, fyve hundreith, and
fyfty ȝeiris.
[Lib. xxiv. f. 24, b.] Per Signaturam.
Ane letter maid, makand mentioun, That yair was ane pretendit sentence
of auld gevin aganis Johnne Boirthwikt of Ciueray, kny{t}, declaring
him to be ane allegit heretike, as the said sentence beiris, quhilk
was gevin aganis him in his absence, without ony defence maid be him,
and he yairby allegit to be depriuit of all honour, and dispossessit
of all his landes, rowmes, and possessionis; Nochttheles, oure
souerane lady, of hir auctorite royal, speciall grace, and fauour,
rehabillis the said Johnne, and restoiris him to all his landis,
heretages, takkis, stedingis, rowmes, and possessionis, and to all
and sindrie his gudis, movable and vnmovable, quhatsumevir, and
to his honour, fame, and dignitie; and reponis him agane in the
same estait he was in befoir the leding and deduceing of the said
pretendit sentence aganis him, sua that he may peceabillie brouk,
joys, occupy, labour, and manure his landis, rowmes, takis, stedingis,
and possessionis, intromet and vptak the malis, fermes, proffittis,
and dewiteis yairof, off all ȝeiris and termes bigane, restand vnpayit
sin the geving and deduceing of the said pretendit sentence aganis him,
and gif neid be, to convene, call, follow, and persew the detenaris
yairof, befoir quhatsumeuir juge or jugeis, spirituale or temporale,
vnto the finall end and recovering of the samin vpoun yame, and to
stand in jugement, beir witnes, and frelie vse and exerce all maner of
offices or vther publict efferis in hir common weill, in jugement, and
outwith, and joys and brouk siclike priuilegeis as he did, or my{t}
have done, befoir the leding and deduceing of the said pretendit
proces aganis him, siclike as the samyn had neuer bene gevin or
pronunceit, &c. With inhibitioun in the samyn to all and sindrie our
souerane lady’s liegis and subdittis baith spirituall and temporall,
of quhatsumeuir auctoritie or dignitie yai be of, that nane of thame
tak vpoun hand to molest, truble, or invaid the said Johnne in his
person, fame, landis, gudis, or possessionis, for quhatsumevir caus
or actioun bigane; or to detract, bakbyte, sclander, or defame him, in
ony maner of way, vnder all hieast pane, and charge, and offence. That
þai and ilk ane of þame may commit and inryn aganis her maiestie, in
þat parte, &c. At Sanctandrois, {369} the last day of Februare, the
ȝeir of God I{m}.v{c}.lxij ȝeiris.
[Lib. xxxj. f. 79, b.] Per Signaturam.[482]
Ane letter maid makand mention that thair wes ane pretendit sentence
gevin and pronunceit againis James Hamiltoun of Kincavill, of lang
tyme begane in his absence, for null defence, declaring him to be ane
allegeit heretike, as the pretendit sentence gevin thairupoune buir;
be the quhilk, he was allegit to be depryvit of all honoure, fame,
and dignitie, and dispossessit of all his landis, heretages, rowmes,
possessionis, teyndis, and vtheris pertening to him, quhilk pretended
decrete and sentence the said James hes gotten retretit and reducit,
with all that followith thairupoune: Thairfore oure said souerane
ladie, of her auctorite royall speciale grace and favoure, rehabillis
the said James, and restoris him to all his landis, &c. [in similar
terms with the preceding.] At Edinburgh, the fift day of Merche, the
ȝeir of God, I{m}.v{c}.lxiij ȝeris.
[Lib. xxxi. f. 35, b.] Per Signaturam.
Note I, Footnote 48.
_Protestant Exiles from Scotland._――I have not reckoned it necessary
to insert in this work those particulars respecting Scottish reformers
before Patrick Hamilton, which have been repeatedly published in the
Life of Andrew Melville. The reader may consult vol. i. p. 8, 418‒421
of the second edition of that work.――In this note, I shall state a few
facts respecting those eminent men who were obliged to forsake their
native country subsequently to Hamilton’s martyrdom, in consequence of
having expressed sentiments favourable to the Reformation.
Gawin Logie, who, in his important station of rector of St Leonard’s
College, was so useful in spreading the reformed doctrine, drew upon
himself the jealousy of the clergy. More decided in his sentiments,
and more avowed in his censure of the prevailing abuses, than the
sub‑prior of the abbey, (who maintained his situation until the
establishment of the Reformation,) Logie found it necessary to consult
his safety by leaving the country in 1533. {370} Cald. MS. i. 82.
I have not seen any notice of him after this. Robert Logie, a kinsman
of Gawin, was a canon regular of Cambuskenneth, and employed in
instructing the novices. Having embraced the reformed sentiments,
he, in 1538, fled into England, and became a preacher there. Thomas
Cocklaw, parish priest of Tullibody, seems to have accompanied him,
and was also employed as a preacher in England. Ibid. p. 97.
Alexander Seaton was confessor to James V. The cause of his flight
from Scotland, his letter to the King, and his retiring to England,
are recorded in our common histories. Fox (p. 1000) informs us that
he was accused of heresy before Gardiner, bishop of Winchester, in
1541, and induced to recant certain articles which he had preached.
Spotswood (p. 65) speaks of “the treatises he left behind him,” and,
among others, his “Examination by Gardiner and Bonner,” from which
it appears that “he never denied any point which formerly he taught.”
Fox had not seen this. We learn from another quarter, that, after his
trial, he continued to preach the truths for which he had been accused.
Bale says that he died in 1542, in the family of Charles Brandon, duke
of Suffolk, who retained him as his chaplain. Script. Brytan. Post.
Pars. p. 224.
Alexander Aless was a canon of the metropolitan church of St Andrews.
His conversion to the protestant faith was very singular. Being a
young man of quick parts, and well versed in scholastic theology,
and having studied the Lutheran controversy, he undertook to reclaim
Patrick Hamilton from heresy, and held several conferences with him
for this purpose. But, instead of making a convert of Hamilton, he was
himself staggered by the reasoning of that gentleman. His doubts were
greatly strengthened by the constancy with which he saw the martyr
adhere to his sentiments to the last, amidst the scorn, rage, and
cruelty of his enemies. Alesii Præfat. Comment. in Joannem: Jacobi
Thomasii Orationes, p. 307, 308. Lipsiæ, 1737. Bayle, Dictionnaire,
Art. _Ales._ A short time after this, he delivered a Latin oration
before an ecclesiastical synod, in which he censured the vices of
the clergy, and exhorted them to diligence and a godly life. This
was enough to bring him under the suspicion of heresy, and he was
thrown into prison, from which, after a year’s confinement, he made
his escape, and, getting into a {371} vessel which lay on the coast,
eluded his persecutors. He escaped in 1532. Cald. MS. i. 76. On
leaving his native country, Aless went to Germany, where he was
virulently attacked by Cochlæus, whom the Scots bishops hired to abuse
him.[483] On the invitation of lord Cromwell and archbishop Cranmer,
he came to England in 1535, and was appointed Professor of Theology
in the university of Cambridge. But he had scarcely commenced his
lectures, when the patrons of popery excited such opposition to him
that he resolved to relinquish his situation. Having, at a former
period of his life, applied to medical studies, he went to Dr Nicol, a
celebrated physician in London, and, after remaining with him for some
years, commenced practice, not without success. In 1537, lord Cromwell
having met him one day accidentally on the street, carried him to the
convocation, and persuaded him to engage, without preparation, in a
dispute with the bishop of London, on the subject of the sacraments;
of which Aless has given a particular account in one of his
publications. De Authoritate Verbi Dei Liber Alexandri Alesii, contra
Episcopum Lundinensem, p. 13‒31. Argentorati, apud Cratonem Mylium, An.
M.D.XLII. Archbishop Parker calls him, “virum in theologia perdoctum.”
In 1540, he returned to Germany, was made Professor of Divinity at
Leipsic, assisted at several public conferences, and wrote many books,
which were much esteemed. Strype’s Cranmer, p. 402, 403. Bayle, Dict.
ut supra. He died on the 17th of March, 1565, in the 65th year of
his age. (Vita Alex. Alesii, in Observ. Select, vol. v. p. 443. Halæ
Magd. 1702.) Bishop Bale was personally acquainted with him, and has
enumerated his works. Ut supra, p. 176.
John Fife fled from St Andrews, accompanied Aless to Germany, and
shared in his honours at Leipsic. “Francofurti ad Viadrum Scotus
quidam, Joannis Fidelis, Theologiæ Doctor et Professor fuit; et anno
1551 rectoratum Academiæ gessit, ut in Actis Lipsiensibus Eruditorum
anno 1684, p. 386, notatum est. Sed {372} dubitari vix debet, Fidelem
illum eundem fuisse qui Fife, sive Fief, dicebatur, cum ea vox
_feudum_ significet, ad quod alludit nomen Fidelis.” Seckendorf.
Hist. Luth. lib. iii. sec. 25. Fife returned to Scotland, acted
as a minister, and died in St Leonard’s College, soon after the
establishment of the Reformation. Cald. MS. i. 78. Knox, 20. Strype’s
Cranmer, 403.
John Macbee, known on the continent by the name of Dr Maccabæus,
fled to England in 1532, and was entertained by bishop Shaxton. He
afterwards retired to Denmark, and was of great use to Christian III.
in the settlement of the reformed religion in his dominions. He was
made a professor in the university of Copenhagen. Gerdesii Historia
Evang. Renovat. iii. 417‒425. The Danish monarch held him in great
esteem, and, at his request, wrote to queen Mary of England, in
behalf of his brother‑in‑law, Miles Coverdale, bishop of Exeter, and
the venerable translator of the bible, who was released from prison
through his importunity. Bale, ut supra, p. 226. Fox, 1390. Maccabæus
was acquainted with the Danish and German languages, and assisted in
the translation of the bible into Danish (according to Luther’s first
German translation), which was printed in folio at Copenhagen, in 1550,
by Ludov. Diest, accompanied with a marginal index, parallel places,
and plates. Maittaire, apud Chalmers’s Lindsay, i. 82. Gerdes. Hist.
tom. iii. Præfatio, **3. An edition of Lindsay’s “Monarchie” bears on
the title‑page, that it was “imprintit at the command and expensis off
Dr Machabæus, in Capmanhouin.” But the editor of Lindsay insists, that
this is “a deceptious title‑page.” Ut supra, 80, 81. That Maccabæus
was alive in 1557, appears from the following passage of a Danish
literary work: “In facultate Theologica, Doctores creati sequentes
in Academia Hafniæ Aº. 1557, a D. Joh. Maccabeo, M. Nic. Hemmingius
Theolog. Professor,” &c. Albert Thura, Idea Histor. Literar. Danorum,
p. 333. Hamburgi, 1723. This writer (p. 274) mentions “Annot. in
Matthæum” as written by him, but does not say whether it was a MS.
or a printed book. Bale mentions another work of his, entitled, “De
vera et falsa Religione.” Ut supra, p. 226. Those who have access to
the Bibliotheca Dunica, will find some of his writings inserted in
that work, {373} Part v. and viii. Gerdes. iii. 417. Among the MSS.
bequeathed by archbishop Parker to Corpus Christi Collegi, is “De
conjugio sacerdotum, an liceat sacris initiatis contrahere matrimonium
affirmatur autore Johanne Macchabeo Scoto.”
We learn from Bale, that Maccabæus was well born (“præclara familia”);
and that, having discovered from his infancy a strong propensity to
learning, his parents provided him with the best teachers. But I have
an additional piece of information to communicate, which cannot fail
to be gratifying to some readers: The proper name of this divine was
neither Maccabæus nor Macbee, but Macalpine, and he belonged to the
noble and celebrated Clan Alpine. In what degree of kindred he stood
to the noted Roderigh Vich Alpine dhu, and whether he was obliged to
change his name on account of the outrage which caused that chieftain
and his whole clan to be proclaimed rebels, I cannot determine, as
I have met with no northern Scald, or Gaelish bard, who has touched
on these circumstances. But the following are my authorities for the
statement which I have given: “Ad docendas sacras literas accersivit
[Danniæ Rex] Johannem Maccabæum, proprio nomine Macalpinum, Scotum,
virum doctrina et pietate gravem, Regique ac bonis omnibus modestia
longe carissimum.” Vinding. Descript. Acad. Hafniæ, p. 71‒73.
“Reliquerat is, qui ex nobili et antiqua Macalpinorum in Scotia
familia ortum trahebat, Religionis erga, Scotiam, et migraverat
Witebergam, atque ibi cum Luthero et Melanchthone familiaritatem
contraxerat, unde Hafniam vocatus Academiæ præfuit per annos sedecim,
mortuus d. 6. Decemb. 1557.” Gerdes. iii. p. 417. See also the verses
on Maccabæus in Supplement.
Macdowal repaired to Holland, and was so much esteemed, that he was
raised, though a stranger, to the chief magistracy in one of its
boroughs. Knox, 20.
John Mackbray, or Macbrair, a gentleman of Galloway, fled to England
about 1538, and at the death of Edward VI. retired to Frankfort, where
he preached to the English congregation. Troubles at Frankford, p. 13,
20, 25. Spotswood, 97. He afterwards became pastor of a congregation
in Lower Germany, and wrote an account of the formation and progress
of that church. Balei Scriptores M. Brytan, p. 229. On the accession
of Elizabeth, he returned to {374} England, and officiated as a
preacher in that country. He is called “an eminent exile,” in Strype’s
Annals, i. 130. Grindal, p. 26. On the 13th of November, 1568, he was
inducted to the vicarage of St Nicholas, in Newcastle, and was buried
there on November 16, 1584. Dr Jackson complains that “Mackbray,
Knox, and Udale, had sown their tares in Newcastle.” Heylin speaks
in the same strain. Brand’s Hist. of Newcastle, p. 303. Bale (p. 229)
mentions several works of Mackbray, and says that he “wrote elegantly
in Latin.” Spotswood also mentions some of his works. Ut supra.
The causes of Buchanan’s imprisonment and escape from Scotland, and
his reception and employments on the continent, may be found in other
publications which are accessible to the reader. See Irving’s Memoirs
of Buchanan, and Chalmers’s Life of Ruddiman. Some facts which
have not been fully stated by his biographers, will be found in a
subsequent part of this work.
James Harrison was a native of the south of Scotland, and liberally
educated, says Bale. He seems to have gone to England at a period
somewhat later than the others mentioned in this note. He wrote a
treatise, “De regnorum unione,” in which he warmly recommended to his
countrymen the advantages of a union with England. It was dedicated
to the duke of Somerset, in 1547. Bale (p. 225) gives the first words
of it, “Comminiscens, ut soleo per ocium;” and calls it “elegans ac
mellitum opus.”
Robert Richardson was a canon of the monastery of Cambuskenneth, and
fled to England in 1538. Cald. MS. i. 97. I suppose he is the person
who is called “Sir Robert Richardson, priest,” in Sadler’s Letters. He
was sent into Scotland in 1543, by Henry VIII., with a recommendation
to the regent Arran, who employed him in preaching through the kingdom,
along with Guillaume and Rough. When the regent apostatized from the
reformed cause, he withdrew his protection from Richardson, who was
obliged to flee a second time into England, to escape the cardinal’s
persecution. Sadler’s State Papers, i. 210, 217, 344.
Note K, Footnote 50.
_Influence of Poetry in promoting the Reformation._――As the {375}
influence which the poets and satirists of the age had upon the
Reformation, is a subject curious in itself, and to which little
attention has been paid, the following illustrations of what has been
generally stated in the text, may not be unacceptable to some readers.
Dante, Petrarch, Boccacio, and other Italian writers, by descanting
on the ambition, luxury, and scandalous manners of the clergy, had
contributed greatly to lessen the veneration in which they had been
long held, and to produce in the minds of men a conviction of the
necessity of a reformation. “There was,” says John Gerson, chancellor
of the university of Paris, “one called Johannes Meldinensis, who
wrote a book called the Romaunt of the Rose, which book, if I only had,
and that there were no more in the world, I would rather burn it than
take five hundred pounds for the same; and if I thought the author
thereof did not repent of that book before he died, I would no more
pray for him, than I would for Judas that betrayed Christ.” Catal.
MSS. in Adv. Lib. The writings of Chaucer, and especially those of
Langland, had the same effect in England, When the religious struggle
had actually commenced, and become hot, a diversion, by no means
inconsiderable, was made in favour of the reformers by the satirists
and poets of the age. A pantomime, intended to degrade the court
of Rome and the clergy, was acted before Charles V. at the Augsburg
assembly. Lud. Fabricius de Ludis Scenicis, p. 231. Gerdesii Historia
Evangel. Renovat. tom. ii. Docum. No. vii. p. 48. In 1524, a tragedy
was acted at Paris, in the presence of Francis I., in which the
success of Luther was represented, and the pope and cardinals were
ridiculed, by kindling a fire, which all their efforts could not
extinguish. Jacob. Burchard. de Vita Ulrici Hutteni, pars ii. 293,
pars iii. p. 296. Gerdes. Hist. iv. 315. As late as 1561, the
pope’s ambassador complained to the queen mother of France, that
the young king, Charles IX., had assisted at a show, in which he
had counterfeited a friar. Letters of the cardinal de St Croix,
prefixed to Aymons, Synodes Nationaux de France, tom. i. p. 7‒11. In
Switzerland, Nic. Manuel wrote certain comedies of this description
in the year 1522, which were published under the title of Fastnachts
Spielen, at Berne, in 1525. Gerdes. ii. 451. There were similar
compositions in Holland. Brand’s Hist. of the Reformation, i. 127, 128.
{376} Lond. 1720. And also in England. Burnet’s Hist. of the Reform.
i. 318. Nasmith, Catal. Libr. Manuscr. Colleg. Corporis Christi, p. 93.
In Scotland, the same weapons were employed in attacking the church.
The first protestant books circulated in Scotland came chiefly from
England. Mr Chalmers has mentioned “the very first reforming treatise
which was, probably, written in Scotland,” compiled by “Johne Gau,”
and printed at Malmoe in Sweden, anno 1533. We would have been still
more obliged to the learned author, if he had given us some idea of
its contents, instead of dismissing it with the flourish, “Had all
been like this!” which, whether he meant to apply to the elegance of
the printing, or the orthodoxy of the sentiments, it is difficult to
say. Caledonia, ii. 616. Calderwood seems to say that books against
popery began to be printed in this country in 1543. MS. ad h. ann.
But, previously to that period, the reformed sentiments were diffused
by metrical and dramatic writings. The satire of Buchanan against the
Franciscan friars, for which he was thrown into prison, was elegant
and pungent, but, being written in Latin, it could be felt only by
the learned. The same may be said as to his “Baptistes.” But a passion
for Scottish poetry had been lately produced in the nation by the
compositions of some of our ingenious countrymen, and this now began
to be improved by the friends of the Reformation. Kennedy and Kyllor
distinguished themselves in this line. See above, p. 354. Kyllor’s
Scripture‑drama was exhibited before James V. at Stirling, about
the year 1535; and the most simple perceived the resemblance between
the Jewish priests and the Scottish clergy, in opposing the truth,
and persecuting its friends. Knox, 22. Soon after this, Alexander,
Lord Kilmaurs, wrote his Epistle from the Hermit of Lareit to the
greyfriars. Ibid. 24, 25. James Stewart, son of Lord Methven, composed
poems and ballads in a similar strain, after the death of the vicar of
Dollar; and Robert Alexander, advocate, published the earl of Errol’s
“Testament,” in Scottish metre, which was printed at Edinburgh, Cald.
MS. i. 103. James Wedderburn, son of a merchant in Dundee, converted
the history of the beheading of John the Baptist into a dramatic form,
and also the history of the tyrant Dionysius, which were acted at
{377} Dundee. In both of these, the popish religion was attacked.
Cald. MS. ad an. 1540. Dalyell’s Cursory Remarks, p. 31.