Knox to a Feiend in England
LETTERS, ETC.
when you also are disposed to trifle, you may seriously remember your Beza ; the other for Mr. Buchanan, who, I hope, is with you and well, and to whom I send my regards as those of an old friend.
Our whole Assembly salute you and all your colleagues much in the Lord, the common Author and Defender of this our union.
I especially pray you, my Brother, that you will continually remember in your prayers me, a most miserable sinner and useless insignificant man, on whom God has laid such a burden, that I may one day stand in some manner without blame before his judgment seat ; and Him in return I ask to support, by his holy and powerful Spirit, yourself and that illustrious deliverer of yours,^ so often wonderfully preserved to you, whom I salute with all humility.
Nor do I ask this of you alone, my Brother, but also earnestly entreat it of your whole Assembly of most excellent and learned men, whom all may the Lord Jesus most effectually preserve, defend, and guard, to the glory of his name, and the sure and solid edification of all the churches, to which you are indeed a singular example.
Farewell.
Geneva, 3d of June 15G9.
How weLl, my Brother, yoju_j;Ct_jii_amitino;^^iscipline with Doctrine !
I beseech and conjure you so to persevere, that it may not happen to you as it has to many, who, having stuck in the threshhold, cannot proceed farther, nay, sometimes even will not, a result by far the most miserable of all.
LXXXVI.
Knox to a Feiend in England.
The dayes of trouble and affliction appeare ; hut they sail end,- to the comfort of suche as patientlie suffer for righteousnesse sake.
If frome day to day thir seven yeeres by past, I had not looked for an end of my travel! s, I could have no excuse of my
' EviJeutly meauing the Kegent Murray.
LETTERS, ETC.
obstiiiat fault toward you, beloved in the Lord, by whom I have receaved, beside commendatious and letters, diverse tokens of your unfained freindship.
Yit have I negligentlie pretermitted all office of humanitie toward you, wherinto, I acknowledge my offense.
For albeit I have beene tossed with manie stormes, all the time before expressed, yit might I have gratified you and others faithfull,^ with some remembrance of my estate, if that this my churlish nature, for the most part oppressed with mel ancholie, had not stayed tongue and penne from doing of their duetie.
Yea, even now, when that I wold somwhat satisfie your desire, I find within my self no small repugnance.
For this I find objected to my wretched heart :
" Foolish man ! what seekes thou, in writting of missives in this corruptible age ?
Hath thou not a full satietie of all the vanities under the sunne ?
Hath not thy eldest and stoutest acquaintance buried thee in present oblivion ; and are not thou in that estate, by age, that nature it self calleth thee frome the pleasures of things temporall ?
Is it not then more than foolishnesse unto thee, to hunt for acquaintance on the earth, of what estat or condition so ever the persons be ?"
To these objections I could answere nothing (muche more, I thinke, than is writtin), but that I wold write, with what imperfections I little regard.
Now, Brother, this is the thing I miist write.
I see England become more foolishe, than foolishe Scotland.
For foolishe Scotland wold not obey the mouth of God, when he had delivered that vile adulteresse, and cruell murtherer of her owme husband, in their owne hands, to have suffered, as her iniquitie deserved
; and therefore now sob they for the foolish pitie.
In the meane time, what doeth England, some time reputed, in judgement and counsell, nothing inferiour to the wisest in Europe ?
Doeth it travell to amend our errors, and to tak away God's vengeance, which inevitablie must fall upon that wicked Woman, and upon ' This remark may account for tho with Mrs. Anna Lock and other friends interruption of Knox's correspondence in England, alluded to, supra, p. 523.
LETTERS, ETC.
all that assist and mainteane her in that impietie ?
I heare, alace ! the contrarie.
For, uniting of the two realmes, by mariage of that wicked woman upon the man to whom I wishe a better lucke, is heere divulgat ; which being refused upon our part, we are boasted with fire and sword, and that wicked woman sail be placed in authoritie again.
If this phrenesie of England, in some case, doeth not justifie our former foolishnesse, this same age will beare witnesse.
I know ye wearie of suche talke, and so I am assuredlie, in writting and remembring the same.
And therefore I ceasse farther to trouble ather you or my self, beseeking God, that to his glorie I may finishe my dayes, before that the extremitie of that trouble beginne ; and that ye may live manie good dayes, after that that woe be bypast.—Amen.
Salute the faithfull of acquaintance in my name, and rest in Christ Jesus.
Off Edinburgh, the 19th of August 1569.
LXXXVII.
Extract, Maitlajstd of Lethington to Mary Queen of Scots.
^ I HAVE of late dealt with dyvers ministers here, qwha will not be repugnant to a good acord, howsoever I think Nox^ be inflexible.
The L. of Grange, qwha by reason of this Castel may do mekle, wilbe conformable ; for qwham I dare ansour he bearis yow as good will as any subject yow have, albeit for his own reputation he will ever preas to dres good wayes for • X • ^ qwhilk he thinkis mon rather be drawne on be necessity, qwlian he fyjidis himself in ane straite, then that ever he wil yeald before hand, quhil he se aparande danger.
In the meane season, I wald ye found the meane, if it be possible, to keepe • X • stil on the Borders, and that the officers of England dryve tyme with 1 This letter is written in cyphers, ^ In the deciphered manuscript Knox's but the extract is given from a contemname is so written,
^ This, no doubt, refers to Sir Andrew porary deciphered copy which acconipanics it.
Ker of Fernyhurst.