Knox to Sir William Cecill
LETTERS, ETC.
r559. should be adopted, l)y which out of rich benefices some part shall be bestowed for sacred purposes.
Meantime, however, while the Church may recover the holy offerings through the deatli of such, we think there should be no striving about the yearly revenue, except that such should be reminded that they retain at will, and by sufferance, what they never acquired by right.
They should also be exhorted not to indulge themselves too much, but contented with living frugally, rather to restore to the Church what is its own than to suffer it to be destitute of faithful pastors, or suffer the pastors themselves to starve.
Farewell, excellent Sir and brother, most dear to us.
We desire that you salute in our name the whole assembly of the saints, and we pray God that he may even to the end guide you all by his Spirit, sustain you by his goodness, and keep you under his protection.
Geneva, 8th of November 1559.
XLIV.
Knox to Sir William Cecill.
Knowing the sufiiciencye of the bearer (ryglit AVorshipfull), able yneuht to signifye unto you as weall the trubles which laitlie have apprehended us, . as our daungerus estate att this present, and supposing your hart not to be so hard but that the trubles of your brethren perse and wound you, albeit tharto ye be not moved by lang discourse :
I thought not good to truble you with long letter.
And yit, partlie for remembraunce of my dewtie towardis you, and partlie for the love which I bear to the cause, which I doubt not but ye study to promote,
I could not cease in these few wourdes to renew my old petition, which was and is. That if ye be of mynd to join witli us in this common cause, that then your support be not so long delayed as that the ennemy may so plant himself amongis us, that after hee have oppressed such as heir wold resist him, hee may have
1559.
KNOX TO SIR WILLIAM CECILL.
occasion to attempt to greater thingis.
To drive tym with Fraunce may appear to som profitable unto you, but, as befor I have written, so yit I fear not agane to afferm, that nothing hath bein, is, nor shalbe mor hurtfull to both, then that ye dissemble your favouris towardis us ; for in the mean seasson the godlie heir ar and shalbe so oppressed, that after thei can not be able to serve, freindis do faint and fall back from the interprise.
The enemye hath place to practiss not only amongis ns, but also neyer your selfes ; and finallie, the whole multitude heir (a few nomber excepted) stand in such dowbt that thei can not tell to whether partie thei shall inclyn.
The Frenche thei favour not, and thei see us so weak that verray freindis ar effrayed to joyn with us.
In our extreamite, and when I perseaved our nomber so decrease that we war unable to remove the enemye from thare strentht, in greaf of hart I wrait to Sir James Croftis to provid for us som releaf of men
; which petition albeit then it appeared unreasonable, yit if it had been granted I am assured that thus much the cause should tharby have been advaunced that non of the Nobilite this day in Scotland wold have manteaned the Frenche faction ; besides, that the kastell of Edinburgh might have bein in assured custodye, the loss wharof I greatlie now fear, for onless greatter force remove the Frenche men, thei will keap it from all victualls.
Oft I have written for support to som men that I know so superexpended, that unable it is to tham to serve some promesses I have had, by the which I have putt such as began to faint in comfort of releaf.
But now, becaus God hath provided men of greater knawledge to laebour in such public effares, I remitt the farther persuite to your wisdome and unto thare advertismentis, unfeanedlie desiring God so to move the hartes of those of whom we seak support, that perfitlie thei may understand what love, cayi*, and soUiciteud, Christ Jesus requireth the memberis of his body and trew professoris of his nam to bear on towardis another ; and farther, to give unto you and unto